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Read this before you buy that TV streaming stick

krebsonsecurity.com

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Re: Read this before you buy that TV streaming stick

#31

Post by BoppreH »

codedokode wrote: post #26

I do not see problems with fake ad clicks and have no sympathy for ad companies. Also pre-installed adware is not a surprise, I found adware in the official firmware image of a certain Chinese tablet. What worries me much more is backdoors from the foreign companies and governments that can be pre-installed at the factory to collect intelligence information. For example, I became aware that a certain maker of a popul…

> a certain maker of a popular mobile OS was collecting the cell tower IDs and WiFi access point identifiers along with GPS coordinates of a device. Obviously they collect this information to be able to guide missiles and drones when GPS signal is jammed

Is this sarcasm? GPS can take several minutes to get a location, and works poorly indoors. One of the reasons why Google Maps is so quick and precise is because Google has gathered exactly this data through users and Street View drive-bys.

Could it be used for missiles? Sure. Is it obviously the intention? No.

Re: Read this before you buy that TV streaming stick

#33

Post by GolfPopper »

1970-01-01 wrote: post #16
fred_is_fred wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you offered most people free streaming for a $37 USB stick but directly told them it would be faking ad clicks when the TV is off, would any of them really care?

No, and that's is the root of the problem. The buyer is happy and so is the seller. They don't care to understand what they're allowing and everyone is allowing it to happen.

They're just meeting the standards American society has set.

Re: Read this before you buy that TV streaming stick

#34

Post by pavel_lishin »

codedokode wrote: post #26

I do not see problems with fake ad clicks and have no sympathy for ad companies. Also pre-installed adware is not a surprise, I found adware in the official firmware image of a certain Chinese tablet. What worries me much more is backdoors from the foreign companies and governments that can be pre-installed at the factory to collect intelligence information. For example, I became aware that a certain maker of a popul…

> Obviously they collect this information to be able to guide missiles and drones when GPS signal is jammed

Are there a lot of missiles that travel slowly enough to be able to guide themselves via watching for nearby wifi signals?

> for every imported device having a CPU and Internet connectivity

Why limit this to imported devices?

Re: Read this before you buy that TV streaming stick

#35

Post by IncreasePosts »

codedokode wrote: post #26

I do not see problems with fake ad clicks and have no sympathy for ad companies. Also pre-installed adware is not a surprise, I found adware in the official firmware image of a certain Chinese tablet. What worries me much more is backdoors from the foreign companies and governments that can be pre-installed at the factory to collect intelligence information. For example, I became aware that a certain maker of a popul…

Fake ad clicks cost the advertiser money, not the ad company.

Ad companies generally try to detect fake clicks, but any fake clicks that get through just earn money for the ad company (at the cost of making the advertisers campaign have a lower ROI)

Re: Read this before you buy that TV streaming stick

#36

Post by Thrymr »

codedokode wrote: post #26

I do not see problems with fake ad clicks and have no sympathy for ad companies. Also pre-installed adware is not a surprise, I found adware in the official firmware image of a certain Chinese tablet. What worries me much more is backdoors from the foreign companies and governments that can be pre-installed at the factory to collect intelligence information. For example, I became aware that a certain maker of a popul…

> I do not see problems with fake ad clicks and have no sympathy for ad companies.

I am not shedding any tears for the ad companies, but I don't exactly expect or want a consumer device to be doing this in the background without the owner's knowledge.

Re: Read this before you buy that TV streaming stick

#37

Post by mcphage »

codedokode wrote: post #26

I do not see problems with fake ad clicks and have no sympathy for ad companies. Also pre-installed adware is not a surprise, I found adware in the official firmware image of a certain Chinese tablet. What worries me much more is backdoors from the foreign companies and governments that can be pre-installed at the factory to collect intelligence information. For example, I became aware that a certain maker of a popul…

> I do not see problems with fake ad clicks and have no sympathy for ad companies.

Yeah, it's like—a cheap streaming stick AND it poisons the advertising well? I'm pretty happy with my Fire TV Stick, but they're really tempting me here.

Re: Read this before you buy that TV streaming stick

#39

Post by IncreasePosts »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #6

> generic TV boxes that promise unlimited content streaming for a one-time fee I don't want to blame the purchasers of these things - who are some of the victims - but at the same time, it does seem like a Too Good To Be True situation.

Maybe, but if they're a not-very-tech savvy older person buying this, they probably remember shows being free from over the air antennas and may think it is something like that.

Re: Read this before you buy that TV streaming stick

#40

Post by mcphage »

IncreasePosts wrote: post #35
codedokode wrote: post #26

I do not see problems with fake ad clicks and have no sympathy for ad companies. Also pre-installed adware is not a surprise, I found adware in the official firmware image of a certain Chinese tablet. What worries me much more is backdoors from the foreign companies and governments that can be pre-installed at the factory to collect intelligence information. For example, I became aware that a certain maker of a popul…

Fake ad clicks cost the advertiser money, not the ad company. Ad companies generally try to detect fake clicks, but any fake clicks that get through just earn money for the ad company (at the cost of making the advertisers campaign have a lower ROI)

> Fake ad clicks cost the advertiser money, not the ad company.

It also diminishes the value of the clicks provided by the ad company. It doesn't cost them dollars directly, but makes all their advertising worth less.

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