Can a Smart TV Get a Virus?

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All You Need to Know about Smart TV Malware

Asking the real questions here – can a smart TV get a virus? We’re about to find out. If you’re into gaming or streaming, you’ve probably bought yourself a wide QLED.

Smart TVs are awesome since they give you access to tons of content without the need to use an intermediary – remember when you had to hook up your desktop or laptop to the TV just to see a movie?

Since most smart TVs out there run an OS akin to Android, the question about whether or not TVs can get viruses seems only natural. So, if you’re still worried about someone hijacking your smart during an epic streaming night, check out this guide. Enjoy!

It started with a tweet…

Like every ‘great’ Internet smash, the entire smart TV malware gig started with a tweet from Samsung. Try as I might, but I couldn’t get ahold of the said message since the company was kind enough to delete not long after it went live. However, it did not go away quietly (into the night) – pretty soon, people began wondering whether or not their TVs are safe.

Per Samsung’s statements, the tweet was part of their cybersecurity awareness campaign.

Awareness or not, it does pose a rather interesting question: can a smart TV get a virus? Everybody agrees to disagree that the answer is “no” since smarts do not tap into the same resources as PCs, Macs, tablets, or smartphones. True, but not very convincing.

So, I started poking around to seek the answer to this elusive question. Long story short – yes, your smart TV can get a virus if you download stuff that, well, you shouldn’t download. Android TVs are more vulnerable compared to the non-Android models since they have full access to Google Play’s apps library.

Yes, one wrong download and you can probably end up with a bricked set or even with a compromised router. Daunting as it may seem, the chances of this actually happening are slim to none.

Of course, many agree that any kind electronic device can be hacked, but is it really worth it? Think of it this way: if someone were to hack his way into your PC, he could steal precious stuff like financial info. That’s a prize worth having.

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