Information security audit specialists report that Samsung has mentioned that its various Smart TV models should be checked periodically to try to detect malware infections. Through Twitter, the company posted a tutorial video showing the steps needed to perform the verification.
“We recommend users to perform this procedure a couple of times a month, for example,” the company’s publication mentions. This suggestion has highly surprised Samsung Smart TV users as well as members of the cybersecurity community, who find it unlikely that people will adopt this custom.
The company has already received some questions, mainly from experts in information security audit, who fear that any particular computer threat has led the company to make this decision. On the other hand, Samsung claims that it only pursues “educational purposes”; however, the critics were increasing, so the company decided to remove the video from Twitter.
At the time of its release, Samsung commented that its latest smart screen models are running a new version of Tizen, its own operating system, as well as the anti malware tool McAfee Security for TV. “This is a waste of user time, it’s practically useless advice,” said one of the information security audit experts.
On the other hand, specialists from the International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS) claim that the number of malware variants capable of infecting a smart TV is actually reduced; although some cases have been detected in real environments, the chance of this happening again is minimal, as it is sufficient for Samsung to release its regular software updates.
Other members of the cybersecurity community think it unlikely that people will follow the company’s advice: “If this was really necessary, the company would notify the user directly, displaying a message on the screen or via an email”, experts mention. “In addition, the company’s tweet only served to raise a false alarm about a possible malware infection”.
He is a well-known expert in mobile security and malware analysis. He studied Computer Science at NYU and started working as a cyber security analyst in 2003. He is actively working as an anti-malware expert. He also worked for security companies like Kaspersky Lab. His everyday job includes researching about new malware and cyber security incidents. Also he has deep level of knowledge in mobile security and mobile vulnerabilities.
