Krebs on Security is a cybersecurity blog authored by Brian Krebs, an investigative journalist and cybersecurity expert. With a focus on cybercrime, hacking incidents, and data breaches, Krebs on Security provides  analysis, investigative reporting, and security research on emerging threats and cybersecurity trends. Developers and security professionals can learn about the latest cybersecurity threats, security best practices, and incident response strategies from Krebs' investigative reporting and expert analysis.

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LG Electronics USA has announced it will suspend smart TV apps on its webOS platform that include residential proxy SDKs, following research by security firm Spur revealing that over 42% of LG smart TV apps secretly turn televisions into always-on proxy nodes. Developers who fail to remove the residential proxy option will have their apps suspended. Spur's research also found similar issues on Samsung's Tizen platform, with Bright Data identified as the dominant proxy SDK provider across both platforms. The core concern is that consumers are unknowingly having their devices enrolled as proxy nodes through buried consent prompts, often in simple apps like games and screensavers. Separately, LG also faced criticism for bundling McAfee promotional software in LCD monitor drivers delivered via Windows Update.

LG to Ban Residential Proxies from Smart TV Apps – Krebs on Security

Like the old saying goes, “if it’s free, you’re the product”.
Byzantine EULAs have trained people to just click accept and not worry about these things…

Burying proxy enrollment inside a TV app consent screen is way over the line. LG banning the SDKs is a good start, but users also need a clear way to see whether their TV was already acting as a proxy.