MASTER Assignment
I still know what you watched last Sunday - A study on the security and privacy of the HbbTV protocol with a focus on the Italian landscape
Type : Master M-CS - EIT
Period: Oct, 2021 - Aug, 2021
Student : Tagliaro, C. (Carlotta, Student M-CS)
Date Final project: Aug 20, 2021
Supervisors:
Abstract:
The ever-increasing support for the HbbTV standard in Smart TVs and Set-Top boxes allows broadcasters to enrich contents offered to consumers via the standard broadcast signal with Internet-delivered apps, e.g., the possibility to rewatch a show. It works using standard web technologies as transparent overlays over a TV channel. Despite numbers of HbbTV-enabled devices are rapidly growing, little or no security studies are present in the literature and no standard protective measure is in place. This works aims at showing the current state of HbbTV in the Italian landscape and discuss its implications for consumers' privacy and security. We describe some of the techniques used by different broadcasters to measure users' (viewing) preferences and show how their wrong implementation causes severe risks. To complement the analysis, we carried out an online survey to assess the level of awareness of Smart TV and HbbTV related risks. Results show a low level of perception of the possible threats users are exposed to. Finally, an open-source security mechanism is presented so to ensure a safe experience for the user when watching TV and reduce the privacy issues that HbbTV may pose.