Samsung confirmed it has already restricted new app registrations with these features and is working to identify and remove existing software that uses these components.
This policy shift addresses a significant security risk where home devices are quietly enlisted into "resproxy" networks, often used to bypass web-scraping protections or hide malicious activity.
Research showed that these apps could turn a TV into an always-on tunnel for external traffic even when the app was closed, potentially exposing millions of users to hijacking.
Because the traffic flowing through these devices is encrypted and appears to originate from a legitimate household rather than a remote attacker, these networks are notoriously difficult for security professionals to monitor or block.
The crackdown follows a similar move by LG and highlights a growing industry effort to secure the internet of things (IoT) ecosystem against unauthorized data scraping and botnets.
While some proxy services claim the bandwidth is used for legitimate tasks like training AI models or market research, researchers warned that a simple server-side code change could instantly activate dormant code in millions of devices.
Moving forward, Samsung is implementing stricter developer policies to prevent low-quality "shell" apps from bypassing the store’s review process to install these hidden connectivity sharing tools.