Consumer Reports Says Roku Smart TVs Hackable; Company Disputes

Roku Inc ROKU denied Consumer Reports allegations that product vulnerabilities jeopardize the security of connected smart TVs.

Tuesday reports suggested that flaws in Roku’s TV platforms and devices allow even unsophisticated hackers to change channels or raise the volume through the application programming interface.

“Roku enables third-party developers to create remote control applications that consumers can use to control their Roku products,” a company spokesperson told Benzinga. “This is achieved through the use of an open interface that Roku designed and published. There is no security risk to our customers’ accounts or the Roku platform with the use of this API.”

The representative confirmed that consumers can disable this feature through the system settings on their Roku devices or TVs. Additionally, they must opt in to enable automatic content recognition.

“Any characterization of this feature as a security vulnerability is inaccurate,” the Roku spokesperson said. "...Calling this a ‘hacking vulnerability’ is really sensationalizing this.”

Shares of Roku were up more than 3 percent in pre-market trading at $43.30. Shares have gained nearly 80 percent since going public last September.

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Photo courtesy of Roku.