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My TV is blocked from communicating outside my network by a MAC-based IPTABLES rule on my router. I would just entirely disable WiFi on the thing, but guess wh
by gatesphere 7y ago
My TV is blocked from communicating outside my network by a MAC-based IPTABLES rule on my router.
I would just entirely disable WiFi on the thing, but guess what? Once you set the wireless up, there's no way to erase that data from the TV again. But allowing the TV to be on the network but not on the internet allows me to use some IoT features locally, so it's an alright compromise by me for now.
I would buy a dumb TV in a heartbeat, next time I upgrade. If there's one available.
- pulse7 7y ago"If there's one available." Just don't connect the network - use only HDMI. This will turn a "smart TV" into a "dump TV".
- Lammy 7y agoI've got bad news for you :) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI_Ethernet_Channel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI_Ethernet_Channel
- mitchty 7y agoYou'd have to bridge whatever you're connecting the hdmi to make that a problem not? I generally don't have that kind of a setup for network clients. Least I've never seen a network device that was originating off the hdmi port in my life. Can you provide more context?
- Lammy 7y agoThe context is that there are many more ways network access might happen and that "just don't connect it" is short-sighted, naive, and missing the point. You personally might not have that kind of setup, but I can imagine there are home theater receivers out there with 8P8C ports that could by default act as an ethernet switch for HDMI-connected devices. There's also nothing preventing the TV firmware from being programmed to scan for and connect to any open Wi-Fi network if it has no network association, or network hopping if it has an association but still can't phone home. I'm not thinking in the context of you, me, and the other supernerds here on HN. I'm thinking of the generic Walmart consumer, probably using an ISP-provided Wi-Fi router or some other extremely uncomplicated network setup, who just wants to buy a TV and doesn't realize how many ways it can spy on them.
- mitchty 7y agoSure, but just pointing out that the ability to carry an ethernet signal does not impart the ability to talk on the network the hdmi might somehow be plugged into. If you can provide an example of a receiver that does this that would help. I'd like to see actual usage of this feature before I start worrying about attack vectors. From what I can find nobody has implemented it.
- Lammy 7y agoWe're fighting the wrong battle if we are waiting to see which ways evil devices try to operate and block them instead of demanding evil devices not exist in the first place.
- RHSeeger 7y agoSmart TVs have been seen connecting to any open network automatically, like a neighbors.
- lostgame 7y agoThis is disgusting, if true. That should clearly be illegal. (Though every wifi network should have a password at this point...)
- BlueTemplar 7y agoWhy ? I would give open Internet access, if there wasn't a law that caused me to be liable for what other people that connected through it did...
- TheCoelacanth 7y agoTrying to subvert the TV owner's wishes and exfiltrate the owner's private data even when they avoided connecting the TV to a network is what should be illegal. Not simply using an open wifi network.
- s_gourichon 7y agoIf you just change the WiFi password, the TV should probably become something like a dumb TV, shouldn't it ?
- sliken 7y agoYes, assuming there's not an open wifi around.
- TremendousJudge 7y agoWhat local IoT features are you referring to? >I would buy a dumb TV in a heartbeat, next time I upgrade. If there's one available. There are none that I could find when I bought my TV some months ago. I hope that eventually some anonymous heroes start flashing open source OSs to their smart TVs and make us owners of our hardware again.
- tracker1 7y agoThat would be nice... all the TVs with nicer displays seem to have the integrated internet crap.
- greycol 7y agoOne such feature is the ability to play from local network storage. Possibly also ambient lighting control. I guess if we were talking about possible features rather than actual one's: the ability to use the tv's tuner to stream to other devices would be another intranet feature that could be on someone's wishlist. I agree the equivalent of cyongenmod/LineageOS for smart tv's would be great.
- RandomBacon 7y agoThey exist, in 4K too! I bought mine through Amazon.
- Psyladine 7y agoThank you for reminding me I need to treat my old bricked smart tvs like computers and destroy their data storage in a shredder rather than dumping them in the monitor graveyard at the transfer station.
- dathinab 7y agoI had that problem with a stupid alarm clock. I wanted to change it to winter time and accidentally pressed the wrong button for a view seconds and voila now it wants to setup all it's IoT features and constantly blinks... Disconnecting power and removing internally battery didn't help. I guess I need a new alarm clock with "sunrise feature" (Or maybe build it myself).
- delecti 7y agoChange your router's password. If you're really attached to your current password then switch the TV to the new password, and then change it back. Either way your TV won't have your WiFi information anymore.