Smart television adoption is on track to expand by 45 to 47 percent over the next four years - a surge that will bring tens of millions of new, often poorly secured devices onto home networks worldwide. That scale of growth does not simply mean more people watching streaming content. It means a dramatically expanded attack surface for cybercriminals who have long understood that connected televisions are among the least protected entry points into a household's digital environment. In response, cybersecurity company Surfshark has launched a dedicated VPN application for Amazon's Vega OS, the operating system powering the latest Fire TV Stick devices.
Why Smart TVs Are a Soft Target
Unlike laptops or smartphones, smart TVs rarely receive the same level of security scrutiny from their owners. Most users apply firmware updates inconsistently, if at all, and very few install any form of protective software. Yet these devices connect to the same network as phones, computers, and increasingly, smart home systems - thermostats, locks, cameras, and other infrastructure that controls physical aspects of daily life.
The most prevalent attack method targeting smart TV users is the Man-in-the-Middle attack. In this scenario, an attacker positions themselves between the television and the streaming service it communicates with, intercepting data in transit. That data can include account login credentials and, in cases where payment information is stored or entered, financial details. The attack does not require physical access to the device - only proximity to the same network, or the ability to compromise a router the device trusts.
The risk compounds significantly when Fire TV Sticks are used outside the home. Hotel networks, short-term rental properties, and public Wi-Fi environments are environments where network traffic is often unencrypted and may be actively monitored. A traveler who logs into a streaming account over an unsecured hotel network may not realize their credentials have been captured until the account has already been misused.
Surfshark's Approach: Encryption at the Device Level
Surfshark's new application for Vega OS is built around encrypting all traffic that leaves the Fire TV Stick, making intercepted data unreadable to third parties. "We worked on the new Vega OS app with our 'online security made easy' mindset," says Justas Pukys, Senior Product Manager at Surfshark. "By encrypting all your streaming activity, the VPN fully protects you from snoopers like internet service providers, third parties, and bad actors. This ensures your traffic is secure, and your streaming habits and personal data are private, known only to you."
The application supports the WireGuard protocol, a modern VPN standard known for its lean code base and high throughput. For streaming applications specifically, this matters: VPN connections can introduce latency, and older protocols are more prone to speed degradation. WireGuard's architecture reduces that overhead, making encrypted connections less likely to interfere with video quality or cause buffering.
There is a secondary performance benefit that often goes unmentioned. Internet service providers are known to throttle bandwidth for high-data activities such as streaming, particularly during peak usage hours. Because encrypted traffic obscures what kind of content is being transmitted, a VPN prevents the ISP from identifying streaming sessions as a target for speed reduction.
One Account, Every Device in the Home
Surfshark permits unlimited simultaneous connections under a single subscription - a practical consideration for households where multiple devices share one network. A single account can cover the Fire TV Stick in the living room, the one in a guest room, and every phone, tablet, and laptop used by members of the household. This matters because a cyberattack that originates at the television does not necessarily stay there.
"Fire TV users, along with other smart TV enthusiasts, need to ensure protection against cyberattacks by enabling a VPN, as hackers are constantly testing and deploying new techniques that can start with your smart TV and compromise your entire smart home ecosystem," a Surfshark expert notes. The point reflects a broader principle in network security: every connected device is a potential entry point, and a household's overall security is only as strong as its weakest link.
The Vega OS application was built from the ground up rather than adapted from an existing codebase. According to Pukys, Amazon's new operating system required a completely new app with deep system integration. It is available directly through the Amazon Appstore, bypassing the need for any manual configuration or sideloading - a deliberate design choice aimed at users who are not technically inclined.
A Broader Shift in Consumer Cyber Risk
The expected growth in smart TV adoption reflects wider trends in connected home technology. As more household functions move onto networked devices - entertainment, home management, health monitoring - the aggregate exposure to digital risk increases proportionally. Cybersecurity has historically lagged behind hardware adoption: consumers buy and connect devices before the security infrastructure to protect them is mature or accessible.
Smart TVs occupy a particularly unguarded position in this landscape. They are persistent, always-on devices with network access, microphones in some models, and cameras in others. They process account data, store login credentials, and in some configurations serve as hubs for other connected devices. The assumption that a television is a passive, low-risk appliance no longer reflects how these devices actually function - or how they are targeted.
The arrival of purpose-built VPN solutions for smart TV operating systems represents a meaningful step toward closing that gap, though the larger challenge remains awareness. Most users do not think of their television as a cybersecurity concern. As that population grows by nearly half over the next four years, that assumption will become increasingly expensive to hold.
