[WARNING] Have you tinkered with your Fire TV? You could be at risk for malware infection

[Porthos]

You could be in big trouble, and we’re not talking about the legal kind. A piece of Android malware by the name of ADB.Miner has begun to appear on Fire TV and Fire TV Stick devices, according to AFTVnews.

You might not be infected yet, but if you’re currently using Kodi, Terrarium TV, or a similar app, it might only be a matter of time. A growing thread on the XDA forums contains posts by multiple Fire TV owners who have been infected by the malware. The malware installs as an app called “Test” with the package name “com.google.time.timer.” Once it’s installed, it begins using your device to mine cryptocurrency.

Fortunately for your average Amazon Fire TV user, only users who have turned on certain settings in the device’s developer options that are turned off by default are at risk. If you’ve never touched these settings, you have nothing to worry about. If you have, the easiest way to rid yourself of the malware and/or make sure you don’t need to worry about it is to perform a factory reset on the device. Once this is done, you’ll be safe from the malware.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/fire-tv-devices-android-malware/

 

[timeshifter]

but if you’re currently using Kodi, Terrarium TV, or a similar app

So if you're trying to get something for nothing you might get burned.

 

[phaZed]

So if you're trying to get something for nothing you might get burned.

It's not necessarily the app in question, it's if ADB back-end programming is left enabled then a network intruder or program could easily SSH into the FireStick and apply whatever commands it wants... so just turn ADB back off when it's setup. So, even a stock Android build loaded on a firestick, with ADB left enabled, is vulnerable.

It's kind of Android 101 stuff, a "duh" moment, and the same goes for phones and tablets... not only firesticks.