Is your smart TV a secret proxy? LG to suspend rogue apps, Samsung sets impacted too

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Do you own a smart TV? One of your apps could be serving as a relay for someone else's internet traffic.

Now, tech giant LG has pledged to stop app developers that are quietly using customer TVs as residential proxies, and plans to suspend apps that fail to comply.

The decision, as reported by KrebsOnSecurity , stems from cybersecurity firm Spur's finding that nearly half of LG apps available to consumers were laced with proxy code.

Also: How to disable ACR on your TV (and why it makes such a big difference when you do)

The problem is not limited to LG; Samsung's Tizen operating system is also being targeted by proxy app developers.

Proxies are legal and can offer real benefits. Proxies act as internet gateways and can be used to redirect traffic, change your IP address, bypass geolocation blocks for streaming, and access web content. In business, proxies can be used for data collection and research.

However, in the wrong hands, they can be abused. For example, residential proxies can be rented to make traffic appear to originate from a home address, and they can be used for commercial scraping, scalping, or hiding malicious activity behind a home IP address.

While smart TVs offer complex functionality, an operating system, and the option to download third-party software, they don't receive the same level of attention to privacy and security as our PCs or mobile devices do.

The core reason a residential proxy might quietly end up on your TV? Money. It's obvious when a malicious app is bombarding you with ads to generate illicit revenue based on your attention, but a proxy node working in the background is far more likely to escape your notice.

Also: Connecting my TV to a router VPN was one of my smartest home network upgrades

You might, for example, accept the terms and conditions of a smart TV app that will happily run for you without ads. However, you have to allow a residential proxy SDK to run, phrased as permission for the app to "use your IP address and free resources" -- even when the app is closed.

Once you've accepted these terms (and promptly forgotten about them), the developer has gained another residential node they can profit from. Add your TV's typical always-on connectivity, and it's a lucrative business model.

It's not just about your device's security, either. If a proxy provider's filters or security fails, your smart TV -- a node in the proxy system -- could end up being tied to and serving botnets , which route malicious traffic generated from thousands of devices to disrupt online services and systems.