LG has come to the rescue after a user’s Android TV-enabled set was rendered useless by ransomware on Christmas Day.
Darren Cauthon took to Twitter on December 25 after a family member’s set was hijacked while trying to download a movie.
Once infected, a fake FBI warning encompassed the screen requesting a $500 penalty payment.
The letter read: “Suspicious files have been found and your attendance of the forbidden pornographic sites has been fixed. For this reason your device has been locked. Information on your location and snapshots containing your face have been uploaded the on the FBI Cybercrime Department Datacenter.”
https://twitter.com/statuses/813096722989809665
Cauthon complained on Christmas Day that LG had refused to disclose the factory reset method for the three year old LG 50GA6400 set.
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However, a couple of days and thousands of retweets later, the manufacturer had second thoughts.
The reset method is shown in the video below.
While the family can now enjoy their smart TV once again, the incident raises questions about the security of connected televisions.
It would also be interesting to know which app the owner was attempting to ‘download a movie’ from before casting aspersions…
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.