Your smart TV may have been doing a lot more than just streaming your favorite shows. Security researchers have uncovered residential proxy software embedded in some Samsung smart TV apps, quietly turning users’ home internet connections into relay points for strangers’ online activity. Samsung is now working to scrub these apps from its store, but the discovery raises broader questions about what hidden capabilities are lurking inside our everyday devices.
According to a recent investigation by security researcher Harrison Sand at the firm Mnemonic, certain apps available on Samsung’s smart TV platform contain residential proxy software. This software allows third parties to route their internet traffic through a user’s home IP address, making online activity appear as though it originates from that person’s home network. While such technology has legitimate commercial uses, it can also be abused to mask malicious activity, making it harder to trace.
The findings echo earlier research from cybersecurity company Spur, which identified residential proxy software development kits (SDKs) in more than a quarter of the Samsung smart TV apps it examined. Spur’s research had previously flagged similar issues in LG’s webOS platform, where the firm found such SDKs in over 42% of the apps it reviewed.
A Pac-Man Game and a Hidden Consent Screen
One of the apps highlighted by Mnemonic was a Pac-Man game that Samsung had promoted to users, even featuring it in an “Editor’s Choice” section. The game itself didn’t automatically enroll users into a proxy network. Instead, it displayed a consent screen asking users to agree to share their internet connection. The researchers said many users, including children, could easily hit accept just to get back to gameplay, unaware that they were allowing third-party traffic to flow through their home connection.
This scenario underscores a broader concern about how consent is obtained in smart TV apps, where kids and adults alike are often quick to click through prompts without reading the fine print. The use of dark patterns—design choices that nudge users into decisions they might not consciously make—is a growing focus for regulators and consumer advocates.
How Residential Proxy Networks Work
Residential proxy networks route traffic through IP addresses assigned by Internet Service Providers to physical locations, such as homes. This makes the traffic appear to websites as though it’s coming from an ordinary household, rather than from a data center or known VPN server. For businesses, this can be useful for tasks like ad verification, price comparisons, or fraud detection. But cybercriminals can also exploit these networks to hide their origins, conduct credential stuffing, or bypass geographic restrictions—all while making the activity appear legitimate and residential.
Because residential IPs are considered trustworthy by many security systems, traffic routed through them is less likely to be flagged. That makes them valuable, and some developers have been quietly embedding proxy SDKs into apps as a way to monetize their user base, often without clear understanding among consumers.
Developers Claim Massive Reach
According to TechCrunch, some developers behind apps that contain this software claim their apps are already installed on hundreds of millions of smart TVs. That suggests the scale of exposure could be enormous, although not every installation necessarily results in active proxy usage. The presence of the SDK means the capability is there, even if the user may not have agreed to it—or didn’t realize what they were agreeing to.
Mnemonic’s investigation found that the consent screens in some apps were vague or misleading, and in some cases, acceptance was hidden behind layers of legal jargon. The researchers noted that the design made it all too easy for users to authorize something they didn’t fully understand, particularly when children are in control of the remote.
Samsung’s Response
Following Mnemonic’s report, Samsung told TechCrunch that it had begun restricting the use of residential proxy software on its smart TV platform. A Samsung spokesperson stated, “We have already restricted new app registrations that incorporate such proxy functionalities on our Smart TV platform. We are currently implementing strict platform-wide developer policies explicitly banning residential proxy SDKs, and we are working to identify and remove all apps currently available in our store that contain these components.”
The move by Samsung follows a similar crackdown by LG Electronics. Spur’s earlier research, published this summer, found residential proxy SDKs in more than 42% of the apps it examined in LG’s webOS store. LG has also said it would take steps to remove such apps and update its policies to prevent future ones.
Still, the incidents highlight a persistent issue in the smart TV ecosystem: third-party apps are often built by developers who have little incentive to protect user privacy beyond what’s legally required, and platforms may not thoroughly vet every piece of software they host.
For consumers, the practical takeaway is caution. When installing apps on a smart TV, pay close attention to permission screens—especially those that mention “sharing your internet connection,” “proxy,” or “network.” If an app asks for something that seems unrelated to its core function, it may be worth declining or researching the app further. The convenience of a free Pac-Man game may not be worth turning your home into an open highway for someone else’s internet traffic.
As platforms tighten their policies, the hope is that this kind of hidden functionality becomes rarer. But the discovery serves as a reminder that in the connected home, the devices we trust most can still harbor secrets.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/your-smart-tv-has-been-keeping-a-pretty-wild-secret