Imagine you’re having a good time enjoying your favorite TV show, and suddenly an adult video takes over your screen, your remote stops working and harmful content is being forced on viewers. While you might dismiss this as mere fantasy, there are reports that incidents just like this have occurred as a result of the new Vo1d botnet malware. Cybersecurity experts have reported a variant of Vo1d botnet malware that has recently compromised over 1.5 million Android smart TVs.
This malware has a reputation for broadcasting harmful content on compromised Android TVs and set-top boxes. For example, about a week ago bad actors deployed a Vo1d bonnet to show AI-generated footage of President Trump kissing Elon Musk’s foot on an Android TV in the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
What makes the Vo1d botnet especially dangerous is its ability to grant malicious actors unlimited access to devices. The newly discovered variant is more stealthy and has improved resilience, making it difficult to remove from infected devices. Furthermore, due to its new functionalities, it easily finds its way around regional restrictions and other protections that are designed to limit the potenital activities of malicious actors.
Vo1d is typically used to create proxy networks where compromised gadgets serve as hosts for anonymous proxy services. These proxies could thereafter be used by cybercriminals to carry out further sophisticated cyber attacks while using previously infected devices as proxy servers.
If you have an Android TV at home, your device may be at risk. However, you can reduce the likelihood that malicious actors will compromise your device by taking precautions. First, ensure that your Android TV is updated and patched with the latest firmware from the manufacturer. Also, make sure that you only install apps from the Google Play Store. Lastly, disable remote access if you won’t use it.