Samsung has begun removing several applications from its Smart TV app store after it was discovered they secretly used users’ internet connections as residential proxies, according to a report by Mobilissimo.
The discovery was made by the Norwegian cybersecurity firm Mnemonic. Researchers found that the affected apps included a software kit capable of turning a television into a transit point for other people’s internet traffic. Once a user accepted the terms and conditions, the code ran in the background to redirect traffic through the user’s connection.
Televizoarele Samsung ți-au dat conexiunea la internet altora din
Among the affected software was a Pac-Man game that Samsung had previously featured in its Editor's Choice
section. Mnemonic specialists analyzing the network traffic of a Samsung TV found that the game used code from Bright Data, a company that operates one of the largest commercial residential proxy networks globally. This code became active after the user agreement was accepted and could continue running even if the game was closed.
Security Risks and Detection
While residential proxy networks can be used for legal purposes, such as avoiding censorship or collecting public data for AI training, experts warn that cybercriminals also use the technology to hide their identities during illegal activities. Traffic observed by researchers suggested the network was primarily used to collect public data from sources like LinkedIn to train AI systems.
Microsoft Products And Apps
Mnemonic researchers noted that these applications are difficult to detect during standard verification because they contain very little original code. The actual functionality is downloaded from external servers only after the app is launched, meaning the version analyzed by moderators may differ from the one that runs on the device.
Samsung confirmed it has started blocking the publication of such apps and is working to eliminate all those containing residential proxy functions. Other manufacturers have faced similar issues; LG announced last month it would remove apps using similar technology after an investigation revealed approximately 42% of the apps in its store contained residential proxy components.
