There is ample proof that a smart TV can be subject to virus attacks by unscrupulous people. Some serious security bugs are being discovered on a daily basis, and a few successful tries to run malicious code to induce unauthorized access were documented on a recent video, the source of which has been kept secret for security reasons. There is also the proof that malware aimed at smart TVs may have the potential to realize root access to the device, install a malicious software package, access and modify configuration data for a different management, remotely access and modify files on TV and hooked up USB drives, access camera and also the mike.

In anticipation of a growing demand for a robust antivirus for a smart TV, individual security software package corporations are already partnering with other players in the field of digital TV to find a suitable, sustainable solution. Sophos has partnered with Ocean Blue Software and developed the first cloud based anti-malware system called “Neptune,” while the antivirus company Avira has partnered with digital TV testing company Labwise to research, develop and create software that would protect the smart TVs against potential attacks. Orwellian (a reference to George Orwell and the dystopian world of constant surveillance he depicted in 1984) is the tag that has been given to the privacy policy of the Smart TVs sold by Samsung and has also been compared to Telescreens due to the concerns associated with eavesdropping.

The abilities of the Smart TV’s abilities such as operating source codes for applications and the unsecured connection to the Internet have been exploited to a great extent by unethical hackers. Information such as IP address data, credit card information, personal user details, and passwords are readily available to the hackers. Unfortunately, even companies tap into these means to collect data for print advertising. One famous case here is that of the enterprise called Vizio.