How I protect my smart TV from being hacked

Sitting down to enjoy something at the end of the day should be relaxing. You should be able to sit down and not have to worry that someone else is watching you. But that isn’t always the case. If you have a smart TV, you absolutely could have it hacked and have people not only keeping an eye on you but what you’re doing on your TV.

You have no idea what could happen if you aren’t prepared. You need to have the security facets covered and it probably isn’t something you have thought about when you were setting up the TV. The most important things may have seemed to be downloading entertainment apps and catching up with your favorite shows. But what you should really be focusing on is how to protect yourself an your family while you’re watching.

It’s very simple to figure out how to adjust the settings for your TV. But it is also simple for hackers to break in. Here are a few things that you can do to preemptively protect your smart TV against attacks.

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The Roku Smart TV is a TV that doesn’t require a separate Roku device as it has the Roku operating system built into it. It offers 4K QLED resolution and automatic brightness. It’s easy to stream, game, and more on.

How to keep your software up to date

The most up-to-date software keeps it safer

LG / Pocket-lint

If you want to keep your TV as safe as possible, you should probably first make sure the software is up to date. By doing so, you can make sure that the bug fixes are at the latest they can be. The newest options can figure out what exactly you need updated and automatically do it once they are downloaded. But others may require you to sign off on the update before it is installed.

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You can find the controls by entering the your TV’s settings.

1. Turn on the TV.
2. Go to the main menu on the TV (not on a cable remote).
3. Scroll to Support or Settings.
4. Software updates will likely be listed as one of the options. Click on it.
5. Turn on the auto updates.

This will turn on auto updates and keep the software prepared to battle against holes in the security.

Make sure your router is protected

The router is as important as the TV

Pocket-lint / Roku / Sharpusa

Your router connection is something else that can be hacked into. You first should consider changing your Wi-Fi password from the assigned one from the manufacturer. This eliminates the possibility that someone from the outside has access to it. Make sure you change it to something unique and not something that you share with another account.

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Most routers have a built-in firewall, but it may need to be enabled by following these steps:

1. Go to your router’s configuration page by typing in the IP address into a web browser.
2. Log in with the username and password on the router.
3. There should be an entry listed as Firewall.
4. Click Enable and then click Save.
5. If there is an option for Apply, click it. if you don’t click Apply, it will not be put into action.

Another option for additional protection is to add a VPN to your smart TV. This will hide your IP address and make it harder for a hacker to see what is really going on on your TV. Setting up a VPN is simple and many options are available on the market.

Turn off settings on your TV

You don’t need the camera to be enabled

Just as you may have seen on a Roku or a Fire TV Stick, you can ask your smart TV not to share your data. This can help prevent it from giving away your data to third-party providers, eliminating the spreading of your info. This can be found, most likely, in the settings menu under privacy. Another feature that should be considered is the camera and microphone. Many smart TVs come with voice remotes, which is okay. But many also have a microphone built into the TV.

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If you want that to be disabled as well as the camera that is used to track movement (if you have an AI-tracking TV), you can find that in the settings menu as well. Disabling these will prevent the features from being used against you by a hacker who may get into your TV. Of course, if you are taking the extra steps to protect yourself, it will be much harder for a hacker to get into your smart TV.