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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

#471

Post by jon-wood »

inigyou wrote: post #425
CrazyMusicians wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

with the devices mentioned in the article, there is no consent requested, and the malicious apps are installed either before the box is sold or after as a requirement for getting the streaming services to work.

You call them malicious apps but what is the evidence they are more malicious than the things they fight against?

Really? You'd be ok with me putting a proxy server on your home network then, which anyone with a few bucks can use to attach your IP address and subscriber details to anything they choose to request from the internet? How about a Tor exit node?

Its incredibly obvious to anyone applying any thought at all to this that its a malicious to sell a product that labels itself as a TV streaming stick which is in fact a paid for relay server with the money made from providing the internet connection to a random third party unrelated to the person who bought the thing without ever telling the customer.

Re: Read this before you buy that TV streaming stick

#472

Post by inigyou »

jon-wood wrote: post #469
wsintra2022 wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except the devices are not dangerous. Its the software installed on the device. Consumers have a choice. Pay for the trusted Apple TV or Amazon firestick, or go the wild west and see what's on offer.

The typical consumer has no idea what they're buying, and they shouldn't have to because the retailer selling the product should have done some basic due diligence before stocking the thing. People aren't going to some clearly shady Chinese website and buying a device labelled "cheap TV streaming stick, will sublease your internet connection to criminals", they're putting "FireTV" into amazon.com and somehow being pr…

If the average consumer did get a disclaimer it would sublease their internet connection to a few criminals and a lot of people who aren't criminals, would they care?

Re: Read this before you buy that TV streaming stick

#473

Post by inigyou »

jon-wood wrote: post #471
inigyou wrote: post #425

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You call them malicious apps but what is the evidence they are more malicious than the things they fight against?

Really? You'd be ok with me putting a proxy server on your home network then, which anyone with a few bucks can use to attach your IP address and subscriber details to anything they choose to request from the internet? How about a Tor exit node? Its incredibly obvious to anyone applying any thought at all to this that its a malicious to sell a product that labels itself as a TV streaming stick which is in fact a paid…

Yeah I actually do several of those to earn a few bucks.

Re: Read this before you buy that TV streaming stick

#474

Post by deaton »

al_borland wrote: post #180
SoftTalker wrote: post #145

> Despite repeated warnings from the FBI and security industry leaders about the security and privacy risks of using these streaming devices, major e-commerce providers like Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg and others continue to sell hundreds of different models and brands I scanned the comments and I didn't see anyone suggesting that these companies should share any responsibility for selling these harmful products. Why is…

One of the main value propositions for retailers in a world of endless cheap garbage being sold online, is to vet products so customers can trust that what their buying is from a legitimate company and not junk or stuff like these streaming sticks. This is the problem with being an “everything store”. “Everything” includes a lot of things most consumers would like to be protected from, and assume they are due to the…

Online it still seems like for the most part if you buy from something a bit more specialty (e.g. McMaster, Digikey, etc) you still get really good vetting and high quality stuff, but amazon is more than happy to be filled with absolute garbage.

Re: Read this before you buy that TV streaming stick

#475

Post by deaton »

pixl97 wrote: post #221
crote wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Just being realistic here; many of these are of Chinese make so how exactly would you stop it other than blocking them from being sold. You already answered it: block it from being sold. 1) Make Amazon responsible for the products they are selling. 2) Introduce a law banning malware tv sticks 3) Sue Amazon for a percentage of their yearly revenue when caught violating it 4) Amazon will finally start caring and do s…

And if the first time you get it online it just updates itself to malware? That's the biggest problem with any device that updates. Yea, this will work for the moment and the seller will be covered in the sense that "well, it wasn't infected when we sold it".

The law is not software. It would be very easy to argue that a streaming stick that automatically downloads malware is no different from one that came with malware.

Re: Read this before you buy that TV streaming stick

#476

Post by pixl97 »

deaton wrote: post #475
pixl97 wrote: post #221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And if the first time you get it online it just updates itself to malware? That's the biggest problem with any device that updates. Yea, this will work for the moment and the seller will be covered in the sense that "well, it wasn't infected when we sold it".

The law is not software. It would be very easy to argue that a streaming stick that automatically downloads malware is no different from one that came with malware.

And that's where the retailer is no longer in the loop, which is what this thread was about.

Re: Read this before you buy that TV streaming stick

#478

Post by red-iron-pine »

inigyou wrote: post #427
sneak wrote: post #314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tainted food and unsafe children’s toys kill people. Sketchy devices on your wi-fi don’t really harm anyone. They’re a minor inconvenience at best, mostly to large corporations that like to discern residential connections from business/corporate ones.

I don't know why this is such an unpopular opinion on HN.

you don't get why a news aggregator for tech bros have problems with crappy devices hacking them?

Re: Read this before you buy that TV streaming stick

#479

Post by r_lee »

ChrisRR wrote: post #416
r_lee wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Made in China and random Chinese brands are two very different things

Often they're exactly the same things

if you think the Apple TV or Nvidia shield example applies to this then I don't know what to say

Re: Read this before you buy that TV streaming stick

#480

Post by inigyou »

red-iron-pine wrote: post #478
inigyou wrote: post #427

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know why this is such an unpopular opinion on HN.

you don't get why a news aggregator for tech bros have problems with crappy devices hacking them?

What is being hacked? The ad industry? I didn't know the average HNbreader had such deep compassion for the ad industry.
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