Code That Hijacks Internet Connections Found Inside Samsung TV Apps
Security researchers from the Norwegian firm Mnemonic have identified code inside Samsung TV apps that can repurpose the television into an always-on proxy relay for someone else's web traffic, routed through residential proxy networks, or resproxy. Some of the affected apps—among them a Pac-Man game—remain active in the background even after the user closes them.
The check found that the underlying proxy node runs continuously, meaning the television can be used to route other people's traffic at any time. Many of these apps are minimal wrappers with just a few lines of code that load content from external websites. Crucially, a review only exposes a limited portion of the code—not the material coming from those third-party servers—so malicious behavior is difficult to detect.
Samsung's Response
Samsung has announced plans to remove all apps that share users' internet connections and has restricted registration of new apps with proxy features. The company is introducing new rules that explicitly ban the use of resproxy components. The move follows the discovery of these threats and mirrors action taken earlier by LG, which found that roughly 42% of apps in its store had proxy functionality.
As one Mnemonic expert put it: "What gets inspected is not necessarily what actually runs."
The discovery of code that can turn Samsung TVs into proxy nodes highlights the growing importance of security in consumer technology. Many users don't realize that third-party apps can exploit their internet connection in this way, so Samsung's response could help curb future abuse. It also fits a broader trend of device makers tightening security and responding more quickly to identified risks. In today's connected homes, a smart TV is no longer just a screen—it's a part of the home network and a potential target.
Source: TechCrunch.