Two hackers gained access to thousands of Google Chromecasts by sending their owners a prenotice for the security hole.
Their warning message states that Chromecast devices can be hacked by hackers and forced to remotely play any YouTube video they want.
Google Chromecast is an online device that connects to your TV and makes it smart. That is, it brings the internet to your television. The CastHack bug, which hacked thousands of Chromecasts, exploits a vulnerability in the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) networking standard.
The two hackers, who use the nicknames HackerGiraffe and J3ws3r, in addition to warning about error on Chromecast devices, encouraged device owners to sign up for YouTuber PewDiePie.
If any of the above names remind you of something it's because HackerGiraffe is the one who last month violated about 50.000 printers worldwide, making them print a message that encouraged owners to sign up for the channel of PewDiePie, so as to maintain its position on the platform as the channel with the largest audience.
Google has announced that the issue is not actually a Chromecast flaw, but rather a flaw that affects routers in general. In addition, the problem can be addressed by disabling UPnP on your router. Still, it's worrying to know that an attacker could be messing around with your Netflix at any time.
Of course it's not the first time it's happened theme with Chromecast. There were hackable bugs in both 2014 and 2016. Since these devices are used by both adults and children, Google failed to secure them and prevent unauthorized access by malicious hackers.
