LG Smart TVs Recorded Audio While Appearing Off, Affecting 216M Devices

Gamers Nexus, together with Level1Techs and independent security researchers, spent 500 hours and $70,000 investigating multiple LG smart TVs (including an LG G5). They found the TVs could record room audio — converted to plaintext transcripts in local logs — even while appearing off or with the network cable unplugged, caching data while offline and uploading it, including to LG's advertising arm, once reconnected. The investigation also disclosed an undisclosed RCE vulnerability in webOS and ACR privacy tracking concerns affecting roughly 216 million sold devices.

Confirmed

• Researchers demonstrated a full attack chain: a compromised (rooted) TV captured microphone audio while displaying "off," stored it locally when offline, and uploaded it once reconnected
• Speech was converted to plaintext transcripts stored in local logs
• The TVs extensively probed the local network, identifying phones, PCs, printers and smart-home devices, and collected nearby Wi-Fi names, signal info and device identifiers
• An undisclosed RCE vulnerability in webOS was reported
• ACR tracking affects about 216 million LG devices, fueling "spy TV" controversy; LG claims its TVs don't record ambient conversations, contradicting the evidence
• Follow-up coverage from TechNadu added detail on ACR tracking behavior and device discovery on the local network

Unconfirmed

• Whether "fake-off eavesdropping" is a post-root attack-chain demo or default behavior is not clearly stated in the materials
• No mention of LG patching or formally responding

Why it matters

• Always-online TVs with microphones that can record while "off" and probe networks while disconnected strike at basic trust in smart-home devices; @SatelliteNetSec urged users to audit other connected gear on their desks
• Data flowing to the ad arm and ACR tracking across hundreds of millions of devices has broad privacy implications and may draw regulatory and consumer attention
• The undisclosed webOS RCE suggests the attack barrier may be lower than the public expects

2026-09-07 ~ 2026-09-09 · 7 related posts

• GamersNexus investigates 216 million LG smart TVs: ACR tracking and vulnerabilities — kscottz · 2026-09-07
• Researchers hack LG TV that records audio while off, transcribes speech and uploads it — jedisct1 · 2026-09-07
• [source] Compromised LG Smart TVs can eavesdrop while appearing off, upload recordings later — TechNadu · 2026-09-08
• [source] LG TV investigation digs deeper into ACR tracking and local-network device discovery — TechNadu · 2026-09-08
• LG Smart TVs scan networks and record audio in standby, security probe finds — evilsocket · 2026-09-09
• Researchers root an LG smart TV and pull plaintext room transcripts from 216M devices — SatelliteNetSec · 2026-09-09
• Researchers spent 500 hours and $70,000 finding LG TVs log plain-text transcripts in standby to feed ads — alvelda · 2026-09-09