Omanghana
Samsung has introduced a platform-wide ban on Smart TV applications that secretly use customers’ home internet connections to route online traffic for third parties.
The company took action following a security investigation by cybersecurity firm Mnemonic, which reportedly uncovered hidden residential proxy software development kits, or SDKs, embedded in several television apps.
Samsung is now urging Smart TV owners to review their installed applications and remove any software suspected of containing unauthorized proxy technology.
According to the researchers, the hidden software can recruit a television into a large residential proxy network without the owner’s clear knowledge or consent. Once activated, the TV effectively becomes an internet gateway through which strangers or third-party companies can direct their online traffic.
This activity causes outside traffic to appear as though it originated from the affected household’s internet protocol address. Beyond consuming bandwidth and potentially slowing the connection, the practice could expose users to serious privacy, security and legal risks if their IP addresses are linked to suspicious online activity.
Researchers said the proxy code may remain inactive inside an apparently harmless app until it is remotely enabled by a data broker or another operator.
One of the affected applications identified during the investigation was reportedly an officially licensed Pac-Man game. The app had previously been promoted in the Editor’s Choice section of Samsung’s curated Smart TV storefront, raising concerns about how the hidden component passed the company’s review process.
Following inquiries from media organizations, including TechCrunch, Samsung announced a series of enforcement measures aimed at eliminating the software from its television ecosystem.
The technology company has permanently stopped accepting new Smart TV applications containing proxy functionality. It is also scanning its existing catalogue to identify and remove apps carrying unauthorized residential proxy SDKs.
Samsung has introduced stricter rules that explicitly prohibit developers from including residential proxy components in future applications distributed through its Smart TV platform.
The crackdown follows similar action by LG, which imposed its own ban after reports claimed that more than 42 per cent of apps in its webOS ecosystem contained comparable internet-sharing technology.
Smart TV users are advised to examine their installed apps, delete unfamiliar or unused software and ensure that their televisions are running the latest available system updates. They should also monitor their home networks for unusual bandwidth consumption or unfamiliar connected devices.
Source: Omanghana
