Thousands of LG Smart TVs Vulnerable to Hack Attacks, Make Sure You're Protected

(April 12, 2024) Several days ago, Bitdefender, a security firm that audits popular Internet of Things (IoT) hardware, found several software vulnerabilities in up to 91,000 LG Smart TVs that make them easily hacked by cybercriminals. If you own one of these TVs, this would be a good time to update your operating system to avoid potential issues.

According to Bitdefender, it found security failures that would allow hackers to gain root access to a TV's operating system, ultimately unlocking unfettered access to the TV. The tech website Ars Technica says this issue goes far beyond concerns of taking over a TV or monitoring viewing habits; cybercriminals could use root access to infiltrate paid accounts, install applications, inject their own code, or even enroll your TV in a botnet.

Bitdefender says the vulnerability can be found within the following OS versions and TV models:

• webOS 4.9.7 - 5.30.40 running on LG43UM7000PLA
• webOS 5.5.0 - 04.50.51 running on OLED55CXPUA
• webOS 6.3.3-442 (kisscurl-kinglake) - 03.36.50 running on OLED48C1PUB
• webOS 7.3.1-43 (mullet-mebin) - 03.33.85 running on OLED55A23LA

LG was first notified about the issue on November 1, 2023, confirming the issue two weeks later. A patch release was issued on March 22, 2024, but Bitdefender didn't publicly release its report until this past Tuesday.

If you're an LG owner, your TV may have downloaded and installed this critical patch automatically. But, in this case, it's serious enough that you should enter your TV's menu system and confirm the most recent firmware is installed. If you need help with running a firmware update, LG provides instructions here.


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[JStewart]

Is there a downside to keeping TVs off the grid? The only potential thing I can think of is the convenience of automatic firmware updates. OTOH automatic firmware updates can sometimes be a curse in the land of no rollbacks.

 

[Todd Anderson]

You can pull it offline if you aren't using the smartTV features... definitley. No downside to that. And you can also tell the system not to auto update.

 

[Sonnie]

Seriously... what will the hackers think of next. This is crazy. So many things in the home are online these days.

 

[Todd Anderson]

They’ll look for any connected device. We had an audit done in our home last year. Believe it or not, our printer was the issue. The printer!!!

 

[NBPK402]

Does a smart TV have to have a mic, and camera... my LG Is a couple of years old and purchased from Costco and has neither.

 

[Sonnie]

They’ll look for any connected device. We had an audit done in our home last year. Believe it or not, our printer was the issue. The printer!!!

An audit? Interesting. Who does that, and how is it done?

 

[Todd Anderson]

An audit? Interesting. Who does that, and how is it done?

We had a security firm come to our home for a day… and (in layman’s terms) this guy sat in our basement and tried to hack our network through every connected device we own.

I’m not the one that made the arrangements, so I’m not sure of the company’s name… but it was a professional outfit local to the DC area

 

[Todd Anderson]

Does a smart TV have to have a mic, and camera... my LG Is a couple of years old and purchased from Costco and has neither.

No. Not all smart TVs have microphones and cameras. Most only have a microphone on the remote (if they have one). And tbh, I don’t think most have cameras…. But @Robert Zohn could answer that!

Remember a few years ago, a CIA program was uncloaked… they had figured out how to reverse the microphone on some Samsung TVs when the TV appeared to be off.

That said, not sure if the CIA would find conversations in my home all that interesting.

 

[Sonnie]

We had a security firm come to our home for a day… and (in layman’s terms) this guy sat in our basement and tried to hack our network through every connected device we own.

I’m not the one that made the arrangements, so I’m not sure of the company’s name… but it was a professional outfit local to the DC area

Wow... did not know there was such a company, but it makes sense.

 

[MusicManLen]

This link will give some good detail on the LG TV issue...

https://arstechnica.com/security/20...1000-hackable-lg-tvs-exposed-to-the-internet/

Even if your LG TV was not hacked it probably is a good idea to check for software update. Here is how to check...

Settings > All Settings > Support > Software Update > Check for Updates

 

[NBPK402]

This link will give some good detail on the LG TV issue...

https://arstechnica.com/security/20...1000-hackable-lg-tvs-exposed-to-the-internet/

Even if your LG TV was not hacked it probably is a good idea to check for software update. Here is how to check...

Settings > All Settings > Support > Software Update > Check for Updates

My LG TV is set to automatically install updates.