If you own an LG smart TV, there’s a chance one of your harmless-looking apps has been moonlighting as an internet relay for someone else’s traffic. According to a report from KrebsOnSecurity, LG says it’s finally stepping in to stop this menace. This week, the company confirmed it plans to suspend any webOS app that turns a TV into what’s called a residential proxy node.
The move follows a report from security firm Spur, which found that more than 42 percent of apps on LG’s webOS store include SDKs that quietly reroute internet traffic through your TV, indefinitely. Samsung isn’t spared either, with over a quarter of Tizen apps carrying similar code.
What is a residential proxy, and why should you care?
It’s like renting out your TV’s internet connection without fully realizing it. Companies pay app developers to bundle these SDKs into their software, and in return, your TV’s IP address gets used by paying customers elsewhere. Spur found this hidden in everything from simple games to screensavers and file utilities, not just obscure or sketchy apps.
What is LG doing about it?
LG Senior Vice President John Taylor told KrebsOnSecurity that developers who don’t strip out the proxy feature will have their apps pulled entirely. He added that LG’s review of its app catalog is already underway, and the company plans to tighten how it evaluates submissions going forward.
Bright Data, the proxy network behind most of the SDKs in the report, defended its practices, saying users opt in through a dedicated screen and that customers go through a vetting process. Spur isn’t convinced, arguing that a single consent prompt buried inside a TV app isn’t real transparency, especially when anyone in the household, including kids, could be the one tapping agree.
LG cleaning house is a welcome move, though it comes right after the company faced backlash for bundling McAfee promotions into its monitor drivers through Windows Update, with zero warning.
Apple receives a lot of criticism for taking too long to approve apps on its App Store, a problem significantly exacerbated by the deluge of video-coded app submissions. And while some of the criticisms are warranted and Apple has let some shady apps on its App Store, I would rather have a secure App Store than something like what LG’s offering.