Researcher Gains Root Access to Samsung Smart TV, Uncovers Extensive User Tracking

A researcher using the name log4j says he used zero-day flaws to gain a root shell on a 2025 Samsung Smart TV and found extensive tracking features, including automatic content recognition, an advertising identifier that can tie TV activity to other devices, and an always-on voice component that counts household sounds, Cyber Security News reports. The claims have not been reproduced on an unmodified television and Samsung has not publicly responded; Samsung previously agreed in February 2026 to stop collecting automatic content recognition viewing data from Texas consumers without express consent.