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from the we-control-the-horizontal,-we-control-the-vertical dept.
It took a year from proof of concept to in-the-wild attack, but ransomware for Android-based smart TVs is now here. As one victim discovered this Christmas, figuring out how to clean such an infection can be quite difficult.
Ransomware for Android phones has already been around for several years and security experts have warned in the past that it's only a matter of time until such malicious programs start affecting smart TVs, especially since some of them also run Android.
[...] Kansas-based software developer Darren Cauthon reported on Twitter on Dec. 25 that a family member accidentally infected his Android-based TV with ransomware after downloading a movie-watching app. The picture shared by Cauthon showed the TV screen with an FBI-themed ransom message.
[...] Eventually LG provided Cauthon with a solution that involved pressing and releasing two physical buttons on the TV in a particular order. This booted the TV, which runs the now defunct Android-based Google TV platform, into a recovery mode.
The Register also has additional details on the recovery method:
With the TV powered off, place one finger on the settings symbol then another finger on the channel down symbol. Remove finger from settings, then from channel down, and navigate using volume keys to the wipe data/ factory reset option. ®
-- submitted from IRC
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Wednesday January 04 2017, @10:32PM
Indeed, a TV should be a TV. Buying hackable televisions and light bulbs is just stupid.
Sometimes new is better, sometimes worse. I miss having a thermostat in my house that didn't need a battery. I miss potentiometers in car radios (digital knobs suck after a decade's use, pots just need switch oil). I don't miss car's points or carburetor. It depends on the tech.
I fear I may soon be missing a dumb TV.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
(Score: 2) by Joe Desertrat on Thursday January 05 2017, @09:25PM
I don't miss car's points or carburetor.
I do. I could fix things myself back then, and somewhat enjoy the attempt. Now, if I even have the slightest clue about what to do under the hood of a car, so much stuff is crammed in there I can't reach it anyway.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Friday January 06 2017, @04:57PM
I don't miss points because the damned clips that held the distributor down always cut the hell out of my fingers. I don't miss carbs because I don't miss 19 mpg on the highway driving a 4 cylinder.
And I never like working on cars, anyway. Only did it because I couldn't afford to hire somebody.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org