How to Protect Your Smart TV From Cyberattacks

At a Glance

Smart TVs allow viewers to watch content from multiple sources, including popular streaming services, USB sticks, external drives, and more. Some smart TVs even have games and a web browser built-in.

Unfortunately, since your smart TV is an Internet of Things (IoT) device (and IoT devices are popular targets among hackers), it is vulnerable to cyberattacks from the bad guys. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to protect your smart TV from cyber attacks and we’ll be looking at these protective measures.

Can My Smart TV Be Hacked?

Yes, your smart TV can be hacked. In 2017, WikiLeaks published a document about a hacking tool (malware) used by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) dubbed “Weeping Angel.” The tool could be installed on certain Samsung smart TVs and allowed the CIA to record audio using the television’s built-in microphone.

Weeping Angel was said to be able to make it appear that the TV was off, while it was actually recording conversations in the room it was in, sending the recorded audio over the internet to the CIA.

But why would the bad actors and spies of the world be interested in what you watch on TV or say in the same room as the TV? These parties are interested in learning as much about you as they possibly can. They’re always looking for new ways to monitor your conversations, steal your login information, credit card or debit card information, and also mine other sensitive personal and financial information.

If you have subscribed to a streaming service through your smart TV, you have likely entered a credit card or debit card number to pay for the subscription. This is the kind of information the bad actors of the world are looking to steal. Plus, if your smart TV has a built-in camera, they could hack your set and could be watching you while you’re watching Netflix.

A smart TV is also an IoT device, meaning it could be hacked and made part of a botnet army. IoT devices are notoriously insecure, and depending on the manufacturer of your TV, it could be less than secure.

Hackers have been known to create botnets of IoT devices (in addition to smart TVs IoT devices including security cams, smart refrigerators, video doorbells, and more) using them for denial of service (DDoS) attacks that disrupt websites and other targets on the Internet.

How Can I Tell if My Smart TV Has Been Hacked?

If you suspect that your smart TV has been hacked, has been infected with malware, or otherwise altered without your permission, there are several warning signs to help you determine if you’ve been targeted by hackers.

Some of the signs are:

• Slow performance: While smart TVs don’t use the most powerful processors available, they usually respond to your commands rather quickly. You likely have a good feel for how well your set usually performs. If your smart TV is acting sluggish, taking an overly long time to respond, malware may be slowing the smart TV’s system down.
• Unrecognized applications: If you start seeing new applications that you haven’t installed appear on your smart TV’s home screen, hackers could be behind that. However, before freaking out, you might check with your family members to see if they installed it. Just because you don’t like the Hallmark Holiday Channel, that doesn’t mean your wife (or husband) doesn’t enjoy it.
• Your settings have changed: If your home screen’s background colors or wallpaper has changed or if all of a sudden your menu is in French (and you’re not French), hackers may have been tinkering with your settings.
• Unusual network activity: If your smart TV’s data consumption suddenly jumps, or if you notice unusual activity, there could be malicious software installed on your set.
• Remote control is unresponsive: If your smart TV remote control stops working as expected or if it is taking an extended period of time to finally react to commands from the remote, you could have malware on your set.
• Unexpected messages or advertisements pop up: If you begin seeing messages or ads pop up on your smart TV’s screen, it could be caused by malware.

How Can I Protect My Smart TV from Cyberattacks?

There are several steps you can take to protect your smart TV from cyberattacks. Most of the steps are easy to perform, and some of them are protections that I sincerely hope you already have in place.

Keep Your Smart TV’s Firmware or Software Updated

Many smart TV owners don’t bother keeping their set’s software or firmware updated on a regular basis, if at all. This is equivalent to never updating your home or office computer, smartphone, or tablet. This leaves your smart TV open to being hacked via security holes that were unknown whenever your smart TV was manufactured or last updated.

Secure Your WiFi Router and Network

This is one of the protective measures that you should already have in place. Make sure to password protect your WiFi router, using a unique and secure password. This not only helps to protect your smart TV, but it also protects all of the other devices that connect to your router.

Securing your WiFi router with a password encrypts your network, preventing drive-by connections to your network, making it tougher for hackers to connect to your network and do a bit of exploring, wreaking havoc wherever they can along the way. You can also use a VPN on many router makes and models to encrypt your internet traffic. More about that a bit later.

Use a Firewall

Some modern smart TVs include a protective firewall as part of its features. A firewall helps block hackers from accessing your TV, protecting it from malicious applications and cyberattacks. If your smart TV doesn’t have a built-in firewall, check your router. Most modern routers include firewall protection among their features. Using your router’s firewall also protects all of your other connected devices.

Password Protect Your Smart TV

Most smart TVs can be protected by using a password or a PIN. By setting a PIN or password, changes cannot be made to the TV’s settings unless the code is entered. Make sure to change the code on a regular basis and do not share it with anyone.

Many smart TVs offer an option to wirelessly connect other devices to them. By setting a passcode, unauthorized users are unable to access the TV in this way.

Don’t Install Apps From Unknown Sources

If you have an Android TV or an Amazon Fire TV it is possible to sideload apps from outside of the Google Play Store or the Amazon Appstore. Avoid installing apps from unknown developers outside of the app stores, as these apps can often contain malware or spyware.

Avoid Connecting USB Sticks and Drives

While one of the great features of today’s smart TVs is the ability to plug a USB stick or drive into your set’s USB port, allowing you to watch video content from the USB device, this can also be dangerous. Always avoid plugging in a USB stick or drive into your smart TV unless you copied the video files to the USB drive yourself. USB images you download and write to a USB stick could contain malware, opening the door to hackers invading your TV.

Don’t Interact With Unexpected Pop-Ups

If you see unexpected messages or ads pop up on your smart TV do not interact with them. No matter how official these pop-ups might appear to be, this could be an attempt to install malicious software or gain access to your smart TV’s system.

Monitor Your Smart TV’s Network Activity

Monitor your smart TV’s network activity. If your smart TV is showing activity in the middle of the night while you’re sleeping, it could be your set automatically updating itself. However, if the TV is using a huge amount of data during its downtime, your set may have been attacked. Many routers allow you to monitor the network usage of the devices connected to your network. By periodically checking your smart TV’s network usage, you could be clued into unusual goings on.

Cover or Disable Your Smart TV’s Camera

There are several smart TV makes and models that include a built-in webcam. These became popular during the pandemic, as they allowed users to stay in touch with work, friends, and family. When you’re not using the camera, either cover the camera with tape or a webcam cover (available from Amazon or other merchants) or disable it in your settings. It is preferable to cover the camera, as hackers may be able to re-enable the camera if they hack into your set.

Disable Always-On Microphones

In addition to built-in cameras, some smart TVs have built-in microphones, allowing you to issue spoken commands to change channels, search for content, or control the volume of the set. Many of these sets are always listening for commands. This could also allow bad actors to listen to the goings on in your home. Disable these always-on mics.

Turn Off Ads and Data Gathering

When you set up your smart TV, you’ll likely see a prompt to allow the television’s manufacturer to show ads and gather data about your smart TV usage. If at all possible, do not allow this. If you have already allowed ads and data gathering, look in your smart TV’s settings to find an option to disable these “features.” This will help prevent your personal data from being used and shared.

While the steps to do this vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, as well as from model to model, here’s how to disable ads and tracking on a few popular brands of smart TVs. The steps to disable ads and tracking on your smart TV will likely be similar.

Samsung

1. Open the Settings app and go to: “Support” -> “Terms & Privacy” -> “Privacy Choices”
2. Click on “Viewing Information Services” and disable “Automated Content Recognition (ACR)”
3. Select “Voice Recognition Services” to adjust voice data collection

LG

1. Open the Settings app and go to: “Additional Settings” -> “General”
2. Click on “Live Plus” then disable Automated Content Recognition (ACR)
3. Select “Advertisements” and change it to “Do Not Sell My Personal Information”
4. Review the terms of use and privacy policy when it is displayed and then opt out of “Viewing Information”, “Voice Information”, “Interest-Based & Cross-Device Advertising,” and “Live Plus Automatic Content Recognition”

Vizio

1. Open the Settings app and go to: “Admin & Privacy”
2. Click on “Viewing Data” to turn off Automated Content Recognition (ACR)
3. Click on “Advertising” to adjust ad tracking

Smart TV FAQs

In Closing

Protecting yourself and your smart TV from cyberattacks is vital for your privacy and the security of your personal and financial information. While no IoT devices, including smart TVs, are 100% protected, taking the steps I’ve laid out in this article will go a long way toward protecting against cyberattacks.