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3 outlets·6 reports·over 28h

LG smart TVs caught logging audio with screen off and snooping on local devices

ThinkingNews Desk · how this was written

LG smart TVs continuously scan local networks, gathering device names, signal strengths, nearby Wi-Fi SSIDs and location data, while also recording microphone audio even when the screen is off or the TV is offline. The collected information—including audio snippets, device inventories and content-recognition data—is transmitted to LG’s advertising platform, and security flaws can let remote attackers activate the built-in microphone without user consent.

Written from all 3 reports below, not from any single one.

How it was reported

  1. Hacker News·
    LG smart TVs caught logging audio with screen off and snooping on local devices

    LG OLED TVs, including the G5, continuously scan local networks, gathering device names, signal strengths, nearby Wi-Fi SSIDs and location data, then transmit it to LG Ad Solutions, which claims access to 363 million U.S. secondary devices. They also run Automated Content Recognition, record microphone audio in standby, store it locally, and upload it when online. Researchers discovered remote-code-execution flaws in webOS and advise disconnecting the TVs from the internet or using external streaming devices.

  2. Hacker News·
    Disconnect your LG television from the internet, now

    LG smart TVs collect plaintext conversation transcripts, audio snippets, webcam feeds, network device inventories, geographic location, and nearby Wi-Fi details, then send them to LG servers. Gamers Nexus and Level1Techs showed the devices record audio in standby, exploit webOS flaws, and use Automatic Content Recognition to capture screen and audio for targeted ads. LG’s ad division reports data from 216 million smart TVs worldwide, including 49 million in the United States.

  3. Hacker News·
    A Screensaver for LG's Spying Smart TVs

    The project provides a fullscreen browser screensaver for LG smart TVs that continuously pans, zooms, and cross-fades public-domain artwork roughly every eighteen seconds to prevent static images from burning OLED panels. It highlights the intrusive nature of Automated Content Recognition used by ad tech firms, presenting historical images as a visual critique.

  4. Hacker News·
    GamersNexus and LG: Or why rooting your TV is a bad idea

    LG smart TVs log voice-search queries as raw JSON, capturing phrases like “My credit card information” and “My Social Security Number,” and can record audio and video even when the screen appears off or the device lacks network access. The TVs also continuously scan the local network, discovering dozens of nearby IoT devices via mDNS, SSDP and reverse DNS, exposing potential privacy and security risks tied to LG’s advertising platform.

  5. TechMeme·
    Analysis of LG smart TVs shows its ad software tracks nearby devices, security flaws can allow hackers to eavesdrop via a built-in microphone, and more (Gamers Nexus on YouTube)

    LG smart TVs embed first-party automatic content recognition (ACR) that transmits data about nearby devices to the manufacturer’s advertising platform. Security research identified vulnerabilities allowing remote attackers to activate the built-in microphone and capture audio without user consent. The findings highlight privacy and intrusion risks inherent in the TV’s ad-tracking software.

  6. The Verge·
    LG TVs caught spying even when offline or on standby

    LG smart TVs continuously collect and transmit data about users and their environments, even when the device is offline or in standby, by scanning Wi-Fi networks, recording microphone audio, and analyzing audio-video streams to identify displayed content. Gamers Nexus, together with Level1Techs and independent security researchers, captured network packets from retail LG OLED models that revealed the TVs probing local networks for nearby hardware and uploading the gathered information.

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