Viruses are coming to your smart TV, says Kaspersky chief

By David Nield April 20, 2014

kaspersky ceo hits back over malware claims eugene — Image used with permission by copyright holder

You might soon need an antivirus package for your smart television set, according to Eugene Kaspersky. The 48 year-old chief executive of Kaspersky Labs has been speaking to the Telegraph about the future of computer security in the wake of Heartbleed, and warned that as the Internet of Things expands, users need to stay on top of the security packages they have installed.

“The threats will diversify to mobile phones and to the home environment, such as through televisions, which are now connected to the Internet,” said Kaspersky, who was ready with a plug for his own company. “We already have a product for mobile and we have a prototype for TV, so we are ready to address this issue when new malware for TV is released by criminals.” He said that it was only “a question of time” before a smart TV virus appeared in the wild.

With many set-top boxes now running iOS, Android or some similar variation, Kaspersky believes that the smarter these devices become, the more at risk they are. His company detects 12 new serious computer attacks every day, and financial services firms are currently the biggest targets for malware and viruses.

The IT security expert also had a solemn warning about the future of cyber terrorism on a larger scale. “The worst threats are going to be attacks on critical infrastructure and its physical environment, which is managed by IT systems: power plants, factories, sea ports and aeroplanes for terrorism and sabotage,” he said. “Many of these systems were designed 20, 30 or 40 years ago when cyber sabotage did not exist. Now it’s a different era. I’m afraid that we will see very bad attacks with real damage on the critical infrastructure because it is managed by computer systems that are vulnerable.”

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