Katarzyna Petru
SmartTube, a popular alternative to YouTube on Android TV, Google TV, and Fire TV, has officially been recognized as infected with malware. The issue pertains to manually installed versions (sideloading), as the app is not available in official stores.
The creator of SmartTube confirmed in an interview with AFTVNews that malware infiltrated the app in November. The infection affected both new installations and updates marked with the numbers 30.43 and 30.47. The culprit was the developer's computer – infected during work, which led to the alteration of the digital signature and contamination of the builds. Worse still, there are various forks of SmartTube that may also be compromised.
Google responded by mass-blocking or removing SmartTube on selected devices. The company reminds that sideloaded applications do not undergo any security procedures – and that is precisely why Google plans to significantly limit manual installation of APKs in the future.
What to do now?
Although it has not been disclosed what exact type of malware infiltrated the application and what capabilities it may have, experts from AFTVNews recommend taking the matter seriously. Simply uninstalling the app will not be enough. The recommendation is clear:
restore your device to factory settings.
This applies to any device on which SmartTube was installed:
Chromecast with Google TV, Google TV Streamer, Nvidia Shield, Nokia and Strong streaming boxes, TCL Google TV, Philips Google TV, Sony Google TV, and many others. Since SmartTube may have had privileged access to Google and YouTube accounts, it is also worth monitoring account activity for a few days to ensure that no unusual logins, subscriptions, or changes in settings have occurred.
The creator assures that the latest version SmartTube 30.56 is now free of threats, but if the app was on the device earlier – a full reset is necessary. This is the first such high-profile case of infection in a popular sideloaded application for televisions, which shows one thing: if we bypass official sources, the risk is real, and the consequences can be more serious than just a non-functioning app.
