The ransomware began to attack in force in 2013 and so far we all know that Ransomware only attacks PCs and smartphones, now there are reports arrived that Smart TVs are the “new” victims for them.
Now Ransomware Is Infecting Smart TVs
Much has already been said and warned about the great digital plague of 2016, Ransomware. There have been many users worldwide who have suffered from such malware attacks, and many have even given in to hackers’ blackmail, paying to gain access to their information.
However, so far we all know that Ransomware only attacks PCs and smartphones, now there are reports arrived that Smart TVs are the “new” victims for them.
The ransomware began to attack in force in 2013. About a year ago, some researchers in the area of security warned that this threat could reach devices that are based on the Android operating system, such as a Smart TV.
Darren Cauthon, a software engineer, pointed out that in the middle of Christmas, his LG Smart TV was infected with Ransomware. According to a tweet published with the picture of the TV, it seems that Smart TV was infected with ransomware “Cyber.Police” which is also known as flocker, Frantic Locker or Dogspectus.
Family member's tv is bricked by Android malware. #lg wont disclose factory reset. Avoid these "smart tvs" like the plague. pic.twitter.com/kNz9T1kA0p
— Darren Cauthon (@darrencauthon) December 25, 2016
This ransomware asks for $500 as a ransom, while at the same time when the software engineer, Darren Cauthon contacted the LG, the representatives of LG told him to simply visit one of their service centers, where one of its employees could reset his TV.
However, later Darren Cauthon found that the service came with a heavy price tag attached—$340 and this price tag is enough that Cauthon’s family member might have been better off buying a new television completely.
Since Smart TV is infected, you can not do anything about it. As it is common in Ransomware attacks, the amount requested for unlocking is $500. LG also wants to help the user, probably by performing reset and reinstall the software, but as we told that the requested amount was $340.
Moreover, Cauthon still did not realize how well the TV was infected but suspect it was through an app.
