Amazon Fire TV Cube hacked using 4-year-old vulnerability

Amazon’s Fire TV Cube 3rd Gen has been hacked using a four-year-old GPU vulnerability, allowing users to gain complete control over the device, Cybernews reports.

The discovery has sparked excitement among home theater enthusiasts, who are exploiting the flaw to turn the Cube into a powerful media player. However, the same vulnerability could also pose security risks.

Here are the key findings:

  • The vulnerability (CVE-2022-38181), rated 8.8/10 in severity, allows arbitrary kernel code execution and root access.
  • ARM patched the flaw in August 2022, two months before the Fire TV Cube 3rd Gen was released.
  • Enthusiasts are using the exploit to install custom operating systems, remove Amazon’s software, and unlock advanced video and audio playback capabilities.
  • Attackers could potentially exploit the vulnerability to spy on users, steal data, or incorporate devices into botnets, although there’s no evidence of active exploitation in the wild.

Amazon told Cybernews that the demonstrated method poses little risk to customers, as it requires physical access and deliberate, multi-step modifications. The company says it’s reviewing the details and will take appropriate action if needed.

You can read the full story here: https://cybernews.com/security/amazon-fire-tv-cube-root-exploit-enables-full-unlock/ 

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