Recent studies propose that there are 25 million homes in the U.S with a
TV linked to the Web, a figure that could quadruple by 2016. And a security
expert says that those Web connected TVs and other home hobby gear could be alluring
and easy targets for computer hackers.
Blogger Roger Grimes recently wrote in Info World about his preceding
exploits as a security adviser for an unnamed (but "world's largest")
cable television service contributor. As part of a "penetration
team," he managed not only to go around the set-top boxes safety and forward
the box's Disney channel to free porn but also to gain access to the provider's
Web servers.
Currently, Web associated TVs and set-top boxes such as Roku and Apple TV
might make a small proportion of the hundreds of millions of U.S. TV
households. And even with the tens of millions of set-top cable boxes used in
American homes for decades, many customers may think, "Why would a hackers
break into my box? There's no cash in it."
But with an increase in the number of boxes which attach to pay-per-view
or subscription-based service such as Netflix comes the increased risk that an illegal
enterprise will find some gain. Just ask the hundreds of thousands of the
latest Mac malware victims who consideration their Apple Mac computer were safe
from hackers and didn't need safety software.
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