LG Smart TV – Should I Enter Password Daily?

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A couple of weeks ago after a bad computer crash, I had to re-install Windows 8 and 150 updates, then upgrade again to Windows 8.1. When I got my system running again, I found that I no longer have to log in to my LAN on my LG Smart TV. Every day since then, when I turn on my TV after rebooting my computer [which I shut down at night], I can access my network with no problem. I don’t know why this is happenbing, but it’s been great for me because having to log in every day was a pain.

However, I wonder how safe it is. Am I leaving my TV/computer/network open to possible attack?

If I have to disconnect my TV from my network so I will be forced to reconnect daily, I assume I will have to do that online in my router configuration. Correct? I haven’t looked into this yet because I’m hoping I don’t have to do that.

TIA for advice.

My Computer:
Windows 8.1 Home (x64) [/FONT][/COLOR]
HP Pavilion 500-A60 Desktop, 8 GB RAM
Belkin N300 Wireless Router [/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]

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Your Smart TV should be permanently connected to your network with no daily need to log on. Shutting down your PC is not relevant as your TV is connected to your router, not the PC. Shutting down the router, on the other hand, would break the link to the TV.
As for intrusions, that depends on the level of security you have set in the router configuration. Presumably, you changed the settings from the default to something harder to crack.

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Thanks for the reply, Calimanco. When I shut down my computer and the surge protector, that also shuts down my router, modem, etc. In the past that meant I had to log in to my network from my SmartTV each day. I haven’t changed any settings in my router, so I don’t know why I no longer have to log in.

I do have what I believe is a high level of security in the router config.

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However, I wonder how safe it is. Am I leaving my TV/computer/network open to possible attack?

Smart TVs are a security risk in a few different ways:
* They aren’t as resistant to attack as your computer. It’s easier to secure a computer than a Smart TV.
* If you use Voice Recognition on a Samsung Smart TV, Samsung hears everything you say.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/smart-tvs-are-a-growing-security-risk-how-do-you-deal-with-this/
https://www.hackread.com/samsung-smart-tv-listening-conversations/

What we do is connect our laptop to our Smart TV via the HDMI port, and we then watch stuff (Netflix, etc) over the laptop. It’s a little less convenient, but safer in my opinion.

Personally, I would never connect my Smart TV directly to the internet.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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Smart TVs are a security risk in a few different ways:
* They aren’t as resistant to attack as your computer. It’s easier to secure a computer than a Smart TV.
* If you use Voice Recognition on a Samsung Smart TV, Samsung hears everything you say.

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/smart-tvs-are-a-growing-security-risk-how-do-you-deal-with-this/
https://www.hackread.com/samsung-smart-tv-listening-conversations/

What we do is connect our laptop to our Smart TV via the HDMI port, and we then watch stuff (Netflix, etc) over the laptop. It’s a little less convenient, but safer in my opinion.

Personally, I would never connect my Smart TV directly to the internet.

Thanks for the links. I’m going to review my router settings, but I will still stream Netflix and Amazon Prime thru my TV.

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@ MrJim – I have to Ethernet my Samsung Smart tv for firmware updates – bought a HDMI cable but have never gotten around to hooking up my laptop to it yet though.

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@ MrJim – I have to Ethernet my Samsung Smart tv for firmware updates – bought a HDMI cable but have never gotten around to hooking up my laptop to it yet though.

Perhaps I’m being paranoid — I tend to be that way. But my thought is, we have a laptop, and it’s easy to connect to the TV via an HDMI cable, AND it’s easy to negotiate around in the laptop with the keyboard / mouse / touch screen; so we use that method rather than connecting the TV directly to the internet.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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I have yet to see a single instance of a compromised Smart TV. I wouldn’t be overly concerned.

Jerry

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“I haven’t changed any settings in my router, so I don’t know why I no longer have to log in.” The only thing I can think of is that your TV has had a firmware update that allows it to retain the router settings when the router is switched off.

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I’ve only done it twice – probably because I need to use a 10m Ethernet cable and because it’s a flat cable, it’s a swine to coil back up.

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