Root shell on Samsung TV

A security researcher says they obtained root-shell access on a relatively new, 2025 Samsung television after investigating unusually targeted advertising. They first tried to analyze the TV’s firmware, but found it encrypted with AES and apparently inaccessible without opening the device and using hardware interfaces such as UART or JTAG. The researcher says they instead found zero-day vulnerabilities that enabled root access, but gives no technical details about the exploit or how it was validated. They ask whether readers would be interested in a full write-up and invite a technology channel to cover the discovery.

The researcher describes the TV as collecting extensive information and enabling a range of privacy-sensitive functions: an always-on microphone, automatic content recognition, location tracking, network mapping, targeted advertising, multiple digital-rights-management systems, user profiling, and other telemetry. They also claim Samsung shares data with hundreds of partners. These are presented as the researcher’s findings, not accompanied here by supporting evidence or a detailed account of what data is collected and how it is used. Replies highlight the appeal of rooting Samsung televisions and question whether Samsung’s Knox security or a hypervisor would prevent it.