I just got my first SmartTV. Learned everything about it yesterday and now I am moving onto security.

First, this is the hardware/software involved with my question.

* Ubuntu 13.10 (64bit) (Though I am going back to Debian or Fedora soon)
* Windows 7 (64bit)
* Vizio E320i-B2 SmartTV (Customized Vizio OS)
* MSI Nvidia GeForce GT 630

Now what I did/am doing is setting up a home media center. I hooked up the TV to the HDMI and I have a 1440x900 LG Computer monitor. Sadly Nvidia only allows two Monitors for this card.

What I am wondering about with this set up is the security part. I am using my Wi-Fi on my Netgear Router and I am aware of possible security risks, even though I take all the precautions possible with it. I am also aware that apps could be hacked as well. But I am not sure how far this could go in the worst case scenario.

For example. Lets say my TV was hacked. How far could that go? Could they see everything on the TV if I am using it as a computer monitor, watching a DvD, etc. or would it be just the apps and TV Tuner itself? Thankfully there is no built in camera. With that if it was hacked could they somehow get into my computer itself through the TV? What other issues am I missing?

I am asking this here because of the large community. As I said this is my first SmartTV and I need to weed out the facts from the myths and there are a lot of myths or I guess possible facts. Since I am duel booting I am more concerned with Windows 7 security than I am with Linux security, though I am obviously concerned about that as well.

Also, I know this next question isn't security related but I hated to start yet another thread when all of this is pretty much tied in together. Is there anyway to get three monitors working with my Nvidia card? HDMI, DVI and D-Sub ports. I know Nvidia restricted how many monitors at one point with Linux because Windows didn't have as many. So I am wondering if it is a driver issue or a hardware issue. If it is a software issue I am hoping for a way around that. If it is hardware I doubt I can get around that.

Thoughts, expertise, experiences, opinions?

Thanks.

Well, I would assume that any smartTV, like any computer, once it is hacked, could provide access to whatever devices the OS has access to, including any other machines on the network.

There was an article recently in Linux Pro about the nearly ubiquitous security holes in SOHO routers; I assume Smart TVs have the same issues. Basically, if someone can get access to the TV configuration port, usually port 80 by default on you local network, then they can theoretically break in to the OS.

Of course presumably your TV does not have permission to access anything else on your network, but many home networks don't have internal security, leaving Windows shares, for example, accessible without password.

As far as access to the screen; that is an interesting question. I don't doubt that if you are using the TV as a smart TV, ie looking at content delivered from the internet, or over your network, that it is accessible to the Vizio OS. I wouldn't be so sure that broadcast from a antenna or satellite box or output from a separate machine using an HDMI port would be visible to the Vizio OS. Of course the only way to know for sure would be to hack it yourself.

As far as I can tell from my reading, the 630 is a two monitor card from a hardware point of view, not just software.

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theres also van eck hacking which is also a concern:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Eck_phreaking

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Thank you both for the reply.



It really is amazing these days how many people still don't get the basics of security issues. When I go to a friend or family members house I pull out my tablet and walk around outside, just in their yard, just to see if there are any unsecured wi-fi. Sadly everywhere I go there is at least one-three right off. It took me hours/days to convince a family member to secure their own wi-fi and explain the reasons why. I wanted to go into in more detail but the fact I got this person to at least password protect it was a start. Then as you said home networks in general are not secured well.

I also wondered if they put on any apps that could spy on screen content itself or if an app was hacked if it could.

Also, thanks for the info on Nvidia. I had a feeling that it was hardware, but I was hoping.

This is very interesting. I never before heard about this. I do wonder how likely it would be and if RF signals from other devices would interfere/scramble or confuse the process. This is something I want to look into some more just for my own curiosity.