Samsung Bans Smart TV Apps That Share Your Internet

Your smart TV is no longer just a screen. It's a computer with an app store, a browser, and a direct line to your home network. That convenience comes with a hidden risk: some of the apps you install can quietly turn your television into a tool for strangers to route their internet traffic through your connection. Samsung recently announced it would ban such apps, but the incident reveals a broader problem with how smart TV platforms are policed.

The TV App Threat: How Samsung's Ban Protects You

Security researchers at Norwegian cybersecurity firm Mnemonic found that several popular Samsung smart TV apps contained code that could share the owner's internet connection with strangers. According to the research, these apps could turn a TV into a residential proxy exit node, allowing outsiders to funnel their web traffic through the owner's home internet connection. This could put millions of Samsung smart TVs at risk of hijacking, as the apps could operate even when not open.

The apps themselves were not necessarily shady. At least one was a simple Pac-Man game that Samsung had endorsed and prominently featured in its "Editor's Choice" section on customers' TV screens. Some of these apps claimed to have been installed on hundreds of millions of smart TVs, per the app developers. The code, which comes from a data collection company called Bright Data, hides the proxy functionality inside otherwise innocent-looking programs.

Residential Proxy Malware: How It Works

These apps contain software that funnels outsiders' web traffic through ordinary home and office internet connections, known as residential proxy networks (or "resproxies"). The traffic appears to come from your IP address, making it difficult to trace the actual source. As TechCrunch highlights, these resproxy networks are being used more frequently for cybercrime, as it makes it difficult to trace this activity. Someone in one country could route their activity through your home internet in another, making it nearly impossible to discover their actual whereabouts.

The danger is not just that your bandwidth is being used without permission. Your IP address is tied to your identity and location. If someone uses your connection for illegal activity, the trail could lead back to you. The fact that these apps can run in the background, even when you're not using them, makes the threat even more insidious.

Why Samsung's App Store Let This Happen

Mnemonic's research describes a "perfect storm" of problems that allows low-quality apps to proliferate across Samsung's app store. Many of these apps are bare-bone shells, made from only a few lines of code, and are designed solely to load content from another website, such as a game. While such smart TV apps load content from another server, any review of these apps sees only the few lines of code within, and not necessarily the content itself.

"What was reviewed is not necessarily what is running," wrote Harrison Sand, an offensive security consultant at Mnemonic. This means that even a thorough review process can miss malicious functionality if it's hidden behind remote content or dormant code.

Samsung's Response and the Broader Issue

After TechCrunch contacted Samsung with a request for comment about the research, the electronics giant said in an emailed statement that it was banning apps that share their users' internet connections, and will remove apps that contain the functionality. The company also said it would implement "strict platform-wide developer policies explicitly banning residential proxy SDKs."

These residential proxy SDKs — which can remain dormant inside an app until it's activated to route someone else's web traffic through a Samsung smart TV's connected internet — are not an issue exclusive to Samsung. LG also suspended apps with similar functionality, according to reports. The problem extends beyond smart TVs; residential proxies have also been an issue with VPNs, especially free options.

How to Protect Yourself from Smart TV Malware

Despite strict review processes, official app marketplaces like Google's Play Store and Apple's App Store can feature apps containing malware. Smart TV app stores are no different. So what can you do to avoid installing malicious apps on your TV?

• Be cautious about what you install. Stick to well-known apps from reputable developers. If an app seems too simple or too good to be true, it might be hiding something. Check the developer's name and look for any red flags, such as a lack of contact information or a history of low-quality apps.
• Keep your TV's software up to date. Manufacturers like Samsung regularly release security patches that address known vulnerabilities. Enabling automatic updates ensures you're protected against the latest threats.
• Review the permissions an app requests. If a simple game asks for access to your network or other sensitive features, that's a warning sign. Be especially wary of apps that request permissions they don't need for their stated function.
• Consider using a separate network for your smart devices. Many routers allow you to create a guest network that isolates your TV and other IoT devices from your main computers and phones. This way, even if a malicious app compromises your TV, it can't easily spread to other devices on your network.

The Takeaway

Samsung's ban on data-sharing apps is a step in the right direction, but it's a reactive measure. The fact that a Pac-Man game could turn your TV into a proxy exit node shows how vulnerable smart TV platforms are. As more devices connect to the internet, the attack surface only grows. Stay vigilant, and remember that your TV is a computer too — treat it with the same caution you would your phone or laptop.