Based on a study done by Xlab researchers, a new variant of the Vo1d botnet has been infecting Android TV devices worldwide. It reached its peak of just under 1.6 million devices across 200+ countries and regions on January 14, 2025. Active bot numbers have come down from that peak, but since February 21, there was a surge in infections that brought daily active numbers to between 800,000 and over 1.1 million. The study states “Vo1d’s massive scale and continuous evolution post a severe, long-term, threat to global cybersecurity. Its ability to operate undetected for over three months highlights its stealth.”
From data collected between February 1 to 15, the bulk of infections have in Brazil (24.97%), South Africa (13.6%), Indonesia (10.54%), and Argentina (5.27%). Neither the US or Canada show up on the top 15 countries by infection rate, with Ecuador at number 15 with 1.04% of infections.
Even though the Vo1d malware hasn’t hit North America in significant numbers yet, it’s a good reminder to have safe security practices with your connected devices. Sometimes we forget that TVs are also constantly connected and just as susceptible to online attacks as our computers and mobile devices.
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One of the most important actions you can take, is updating any firmware or system OS to the most recent released version. For TVs, this can often be found through a System or About this TV menu. It’s also good practice to make sure system updates are automatic, so you don’t miss something urgent to protect your device. You also should make sure to only install apps from the Google Play store and avoid sideloading any questionable apps.