LG smart TVs can record your conversations and scan nearby Wi-Fi networks, claims report
Some smart TVs quietly do more than display Netflix and sports scores. According to a new investigation, LG 's smart TVs may be among them. A new 135-minute video published by Gamers Nexus on YouTube claims that LG smart TVs continuously sweep home networks, map secondary devices, and log microphone audio while appearing to be turned off.
Steve of Gamers Nexus conducted the investigation, working alongside Level1Techs and independent security researchers. Together, they tested retail LG OLED models including the G5. Network packet captures taken through Wireshark showed the TVs actively scanning the local area network for unrelated hardware, including phones and smartwatches.
The scanning was not limited to devices on the same network. Apart from internal IP addresses, the sets also gathered the names and signal strengths of neighbouring Wi-Fi networks along with location data, according to the findings.
Where the collected data ends upThis data pool feeds into LG Ad Solutions, the company's targeted advertising arm. LG claims they have roughly 216 million smart TV sales globally. Meanwhile, the ad division says it has access to 363 million secondary addressable devices in the US alone by tracking other hardware on the same network.
The sets also run Automated Content Recognition, or ACR, a system that samples on-screen audio and video into digital fingerprints to log what users watch across inputs. ACR has been well documented on smart TVs in general, but the new testing shows data collection on LG's sets goes much further than that.
Microphones that keep listening in standby modeThe more striking finding involved the TV's behaviour when it appeared to be switched off. During bench tests, researchers found the TV could capture clean microphone audio while the screen was, or at least looked to be, powered down in standby mode.
The team then tested what happened without an internet connection. When they disconnected the TV from Ethernet, the set continued saving voice input locally and uploaded the stored files once network access was restored, according to the investigation.
Security flaws add to the concernBeyond the data collection itself, the researchers also documented remote code execution vulnerabilities in webOS, LG's smart TV operating system. Those vulnerabilities are currently moving through the responsible disclosure process, meaning LG has been notified and given time to issue fixes before technical details are made public.
Because the TV uses broad network listeners and data sweeps out of the box, the team's recommendation was to disconnect LG sets from the internet and use external streaming devices instead.
LG has not commented on any of this as of writing.
Steve of Gamers Nexus conducted the investigation, working alongside Level1Techs and independent security researchers. Together, they tested retail LG OLED models including the G5. Network packet captures taken through Wireshark showed the TVs actively scanning the local area network for unrelated hardware, including phones and smartwatches.
The scanning was not limited to devices on the same network. Apart from internal IP addresses, the sets also gathered the names and signal strengths of neighbouring Wi-Fi networks along with location data, according to the findings.
Where the collected data ends upThis data pool feeds into LG Ad Solutions, the company's targeted advertising arm. LG claims they have roughly 216 million smart TV sales globally. Meanwhile, the ad division says it has access to 363 million secondary addressable devices in the US alone by tracking other hardware on the same network.
The sets also run Automated Content Recognition, or ACR, a system that samples on-screen audio and video into digital fingerprints to log what users watch across inputs. ACR has been well documented on smart TVs in general, but the new testing shows data collection on LG's sets goes much further than that.
Microphones that keep listening in standby modeThe more striking finding involved the TV's behaviour when it appeared to be switched off. During bench tests, researchers found the TV could capture clean microphone audio while the screen was, or at least looked to be, powered down in standby mode.
The team then tested what happened without an internet connection. When they disconnected the TV from Ethernet, the set continued saving voice input locally and uploaded the stored files once network access was restored, according to the investigation.
Security flaws add to the concernBeyond the data collection itself, the researchers also documented remote code execution vulnerabilities in webOS, LG's smart TV operating system. Those vulnerabilities are currently moving through the responsible disclosure process, meaning LG has been notified and given time to issue fixes before technical details are made public.
Because the TV uses broad network listeners and data sweeps out of the box, the team's recommendation was to disconnect LG sets from the internet and use external streaming devices instead.
LG has not commented on any of this as of writing.
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