PITTSBURGH — Did you know hackers can steal your personal information through your TV?
How do they get in and what sensitive information is on it?
“A lot of people wouldn’t think about that just by getting rid of their TV, that there are just a few pieces of information that somebody could leverage,” said Zen Piotrowski, owner of CMIT Solutions in Pittsburgh, a cybersecurity company.
Smart TVs have built-in internet, which allows users to access apps, much like they would with a cell phone. What people might not realize is many smart TVs are designed to collect information for their manufacturer, including your location and what apps you open. Some TVs even have microphones on their remotes that can also capture your voice.
So before you move that old set out, remember, it’s possible your personal history is still inside.
“A lot of people wouldn’t think about that just by getting rid of their TV,” said Piotrowski. “There’s just a few pieces of information that somebody could leverage.”
For example, a cybercriminal could find your home address in your television, and your email address, then they could search social media for a way to contact you.
“They text you and they trick you into revealing some additional information,” said Piotrowski.
Instead, Piotrowski says consumers should make sure they reset their outgoing tv sets to the original settings, wiping out any history that the television has stored.
To do that, navigate to the main menu, them system settings and go to reset the TV to factory settings.
This will delete wi-fi, your google account and login information, and any apps that you’ve installed, keeping any potential prying eyes from stealing your private information.
“It’s very easy to prevent,” said Piotrowski.
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