The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued some advice to protect smart TVs, increasingly at the center of the "special attentions" of hackers
If even the home TV is smart, and is connected to the network, then it can be attacked by a hacker. That's what the FBI reminds us, and they've put together a short (and, to tell the truth, quite banal) guide to protecting smart TVs.
The principle from which the FBI starts is clear and simple: smart TVs are connected to the Internet and have a processor and a certain amount of memory inside them. It is possible to download apps for smart TVs, which behave similarly to those for smartphones. In addition, many recent smart TVs even have Android built in. In terms of cybersecurity, then, very little changes between a smart TV and a smartphone: both are remotely attackable by a hacker, even through the use of viruses and malware of various kinds. That's why it is necessary to protect them, as much as we have to protect our cell phones.
Smart TVs in danger: the FBI's advice
If the FBI's diagnosis is more than correct and unexceptionable, what seems a bit too bland are the recommendations that derive from the diagnosis. The FBI recommends checking what features are actually built into the smart TV and how to control them. It recommends to modify the basic settings of the device, providing to change immediately the default password with a personalized one. It advises to check the reliability of the manufacturer and its ability to quickly update the device when necessary. Still the FBI also recommends to read well the privacy policy of the manufacturer and of the streaming services we use. Finally, the FBI recommends to deactivate the frontal camera of the smart Tv or, if it is not possible to do it, to cover it with adhesive tape.
Smart Tv in danger: Libero's advices
The FBI advices are just the minimum essential to protect a smart Tv at the threshold of 2020. For a really effective protection, however, we need to check one by one the apps we have installed and the permissions we have granted them. And, since it's not always possible to do so, the real advice is to install only the essential apps. And, among them, there is definitely an antivirus app. Yes, there are also antivirus apps for smart TV: some manufacturers integrate them directly into the device's operating system, otherwise there are smart TV versions of the most popular antivirus apps for PCs and smartphones.