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Doctor Four
My other vehicle is a TARDIS
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join:2000-09-05
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Doctor Four

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Ransomware infects Smart TV

Software engineer Darren Cauthon posted to Twitter an image of a family member's LG Smart TV which had been bricked by Android ransomware. The hacker demanded $500 to unlock the TV, which he refused to pay. Instead he went to LG for help, who rather than how to do a factory reset told him to take it to a local service center where he would be charged $340 to have this done. After backlash on social media, LG reconsidered and provided him with instructions on how to do a factory reset:

»www.techspot.com/news/67 ··· tly.html

humanfilth
join:2013-02-14
river styx

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humanfilth

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Someone either sideloaded an app or clicked "Codec to view movie? Yes please!"

I've got a dedicated computer for my streaming on the big TV. A bit more work as I read a webpage instead of the oh so convenient SamrtTV (Doh! Homer Simpson spelling) big menu with fancy buttons and a remote that's not a mouse and key board.
And Ublock Origin to suppress a lot of shit, when need be.

From the original link
»www.bleepingcomputer.com ··· mart-tv/

TV infected by installing mysterious app

Asked to detail how he got infected with the ransomware, Cauthon said "They [the relatives] said they downloaded an app to watch a movie. Halfway thru movie, tv froze. Now boots to this."

It is unclear at this moment if Cauthon's relative downloaded an app from the official Play Store, or from a third-party source.


Ken1943
join:2001-12-30
Brighton, CO

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to Doctor Four
If you want the latest gizmo, then live with the junk ! Then think how much you paid for it.
DarkSithPro (banned)
join:2005-02-12
Tempe, AZ

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DarkSithPro (banned) to humanfilth

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to humanfilth
said by humanfilth:

Asked to detail how he got infected with the ransomware, Cauthon said "They [the relatives] said they downloaded an app to watch a movie. Halfway thru movie, tv froze. Now boots to this."

It is unclear at this moment if Cauthon's relative downloaded an app from the official Play Store, or from a third-party source.

Sounds like to me the relatives, IE: warez kids at family gathering decided to get cute and download a shady 3rd party app that lets them stream illegal movies and TV shows, which in return infected the unsuspecting TV with a ransom-ware trojan and caused this problem.

DonoftheDead
Old diver
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As soon as I saw the word "family" I understood. I'm the family "computer guy" soon to be the family "TV guy". I'm thinkin' about changing my name and moving. Computers, smartphones, smart cars, smart refrigerators, smart homes with .50 cal Gatling intrusion prevention devices, my future is looking very bleak.
Frodo
join:2006-05-05

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said by Doctor Four:

who rather than how to do a factory reset told him to take it to a local service center where he would be charged $340 to have this done. After backlash on social media, LG reconsidered and provided him with instructions on how to do a factory reset:

Way I see it, that should be information provided in the owner's manual. If that capability was available and hidden from the consumer, my view is that this constitutes an unfair and deceptive practice, in that the concealment was designed, by the manufacturer, to elicit payments from the consumer for issues involving defects in the product sold.

GuruGuy
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join:2002-12-16
Atlanta, GA

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GuruGuy

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It probably was in the owners manual. Most have you go through the gui to a screen and then reset from there. If the tv was locked it would have to be done differently. I agree that they should have just told them on the phone how to reboot it from the state it was in and reset it.

rolfp
no-shill zone
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join:2011-03-27
Oakland, CA

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I don't get how a "software engineer" wouldn't be a little more understanding about the time it takes for the Android OS to load on a cold boot of, after all, a TV, a device whose design must take into account "increasingly stringent ENERGY STAR rules".
Also, I think I would have had the reset software perform the cache deletion step instead of just yanking the cord, but I'm not a "software engineer".
According to his youtube video, many twits tried in vain to find instructions for a factory reset, so I doubt it's in the manual and, having experienced a lot of phone "support" recently, I don't think LG would allow front-line CS agents access to knowledge of how to perform such a dramatic move/the authority to disseminate it to complaining customers with possibly even less tech savvy.
However, I'm saving the instructions. I've got a newish LG UHD 4k machine, albeit running WebOS, and they might come in handy, in a pinch.
HELLFIRE
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said by DonoftheDead:

I'm the family "computer guy" soon to be the family "TV guy". I'm thinkin' about changing my name and moving. Computers, smartphones, smart cars, smart refrigerators, smart homes with .50 cal Gatling intrusion prevention devices, my future is looking very bleak.

+1000000

"I got a virus!" -- find OS disk, find drivers, back up data, reinstall.

"my phone buggered up" -- try factory reset and hope it fixes it.

Now with "smart tvs" ... oh boy... Imaging the conversation :

"My TV buggered up, can you fix it?"
"Why don't you just return it?"
"But I need to watch [insert here] NOW!" -or- "The kids are screaming they can't watch [insert here]"
"Can't you call the vendor?"
"They told me I have to pay [insert here] to fix it and I can't afford that!"

:headdesk:

Regards
Kearnstd
Space Elf
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tbh there should just be a reset button on the back of the TV, Push and hold it for say 5 seconds and the TV reboots back to factory. Best design would be for a default install of Android TV to be stored in the set on ROM. That way hackers cannot ever corrupt the default settings even if that reset takes you back to the Android TV version that was there when the set was new, As any PC owner will confess... Sometimes nuke and pave is better than fussing with fixes.

Mark12547
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join:2015-10-06
Salem, OR
Cisco DPC3941

Mark12547

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said by Kearnstd:

tbh there should just be a reset button on the back of the TV, Push and hold it for say 5 seconds and the TV reboots back to factory.

On the other hand, you don't want to make it too easy for children to bypass the V-Chip settings. (But with the vast majority of TVs not connected to an antenna, and some high-end display devices not even having tuners, the TV's V-Chip might not be an issue for the majority of households.)

altermatt
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Given that it seems a reset will fix this threat, and that the links here merely refer to the reset without directions, and that the manufacturers seem reluctant to provide instructions (agree with Frodo about this), anyone got a link that might provide clear and followable instructions? The one link I found referred obliquely to hooking the TV up to a PC and running some sort of software, but that sounds daunting. There's no simple internal way to reset a TV? As the "go-to-guy" for the clueless noobs in my circle as well, this really sounds like something I'm going to end up dealing with sooner or later .

Darknessfall
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said by Kearnstd:

tbh there should just be a reset button on the back of the TV,

My TCL Roku TV has a recessed reset button on the side. Do other smart TVs not have one?

If you press it briefly, it reboots the TV. According to the manual, if you hold it for a long period, it factory resets the TV.

onebadmofo
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Me thinks he didn't google enough to find out how to reset the TV. Or at least, post here so people could help.

Seriously though LG, why would they allow this issue to take to social media with the possibility of them looking bad? Only to have to back pedal and help out anyway.
Why not just help the dude?

Or are they some how responsible for the ransom, hmmmm??
Kearnstd
Space Elf
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Kearnstd

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I suspect their customer support staff is bound by stupid business rules to drive people to Authorized LG service centers.

Just like how a Comcast CSR is required to sell you phone service even if your existing services are completely fucked.

In a logical world CSRs help people, in a world of metrics they toe the line or get written up.

dolphins
Clean Up Our Oceans
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said by onebadmofo:

Seriously though LG, why would they allow this issue to take to social media with the possibility of them looking bad? Only to have to back pedal and help out anyway.
Why not just help the dude?

I will not Buy LG products ever again. They're in the business of bilking consumers for appliance repair while manufacturing products that barely last the warranty periods and is my case did not last that long.

»[Appliances] Buyer Beware of LG Appliances!

When repair of their own products is so profitable, they have little incentive to manufacture anything of quality.

Chubbzie
join:2014-02-11
Greenville, NC

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Is the term 'ransomware' interchangeable with 'commercials'?

Commercials infect Smart TVs - 01/01/2017

carpetshark3
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Idledale, CO

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carpetshark3

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Did you forget this from last year?

»www.wcpo.com/money/consu ··· y-on-you

Maybe LG is still spying and a factory reset cuts off the spyware.

DonoftheDead
Old diver
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DonoftheDead

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I think a reset restores defaults and spying is one of the defaults. Opt-out is the default for everything nowadays.

TheJoker
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TheJoker

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Having a smart TV, the first thing I did was to not agree to use of personal information in the initial setup, and then turn of voice remote (don't have the most recent version of Comcast, so don't have voice remote on the cable box). Of course, it's all behind a router (not the default password) for the Internet connection, and a high quality surge protector.

David
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Sometimes, I am glad I have some dumb SD only TV's in my house. It's kind of hard to infect them.

vircotto
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said by altermatt:

Given that it seems a reset will fix this threat, and that the links here merely refer to the reset without directions, and that the manufacturers seem reluctant to provide instructions (agree with Frodo about this), anyone got a link that might provide clear and followable instructions? ....

In the YouTube video in the article, the guy says the factory reset code is to hold Settings, then hold Volume Down, then release Settings, then release Volume Down, but then writes (on the YouTube page) that the factory reset code is to hold Settings, then hold Channel Down, then release Settings, then release Channel Down.

Of course that is for the LG Google TV being discussed (LG 50GA6400 Google TV) and the video stops before we see if it is truly successful.

A friend says his LG TV (likely a more recent model) uses WebOS rather than Android.

Chubbzie
join:2014-02-11
Greenville, NC
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Chubbzie

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said by vircotto:

A friend says his LG TV (likely a more recent model) uses WebOS rather than Android.

Yes, I thought all LG SmartyTVs manufactured in 2015 & 2016 utilized WebOS, version 2 for older models, version 3 for newer models. WebOS has received many accolades from the industry, reviewers, and users...

garys_2k
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Our 2014 LG Smart TV uses WebOS.
dave
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said by Chubbzie:

Is the term 'ransomware' interchangeable with 'commercials'?

Not quite. The ransomware guys are reportedly honorable, and you'll be released after one payment. Advertisers will indirectly demand your money but will pester you forever.

jeisenberg
New Year's Eve
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Windsor, ON

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said by Chubbzie:

said by vircotto:

A friend says his LG TV (likely a more recent model) uses WebOS rather than Android.

Yes, I thought all LG SmartyTVs manufactured in 2015 & 2016 utilized WebOS, version 2 for older models, version 3 for newer models. WebOS has received many accolades from the industry, reviewers, and users...

I think he says in the video or comments that his TV is circa 2012.
Expand your moderator at work
pandora
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Re: Ransomware infects Smart TV

I own two Sony Android TV's. The play store is limited. Kodi exists in the store, maybe a malicious Kodi add on, but other than that, it seems sorta limited and tight. Unless these folks side loaded something. Why anyone would do that with Kodi is beyond me. Also included is Pluto TV (by default, pre-installed).
ihafro
join:2004-01-05
Champaign, IL

ihafro to garys_2k

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WebOS goes back even earlier. Maybe 2012? Not sure, but was definitely on some 2013s.

Not all 2014-2016 models use WebOS either. Their lowest end TVs have "smart" features, but not a real multitasking OS, it's just some embedded proprietary crap.

I have a 2014 WebOS 2 model and I love the thing. Much more than any of the Android based systems. 14 sec full operational start time! Damn near seemless. My mom's Android TV Sony takes a bloody minute and a half!?!
tired_runner
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If you are too stupid to handle the tech, stick to a monitor and a cable box.