LG gave Darren Cauthon secret Google TV reset instructions for the new year that he was using when he was hit by ransomware.
The company initially demanded more money than the TV cost, but relented and agreed to offer instructions on how to reset the TV after Cauthon expressed his displeasure on Twitter.
The TV was infected by Darren Cauthon's wife when she tried to download an app that promised free movies. Instead, it installed ransomware, which demanded $500 to unlock Google TV.
Cauthon said that LG gave him the factory reset steps and did not want to reveal them publicly, as they are not known even to its customer support technicians.
Darren Cauthon realized his TV was infected when he saw a message on Christmas Day that purported to be from the FBI. The message said that suspicious files had been found and that the owner would have to pay a fine.
But let's see how he managed to delete the ransomware, and mention that the following simple steps may also apply to other Google TVs.
With the TV off, place your finger on the settings symbol and then another finger on the channel down button (when you want to go down channels). Then take your finger off the settings, and then the channel button. Then navigate using the volume keys to find the wipe data/factory reset option.
Watch the video that explains the steps we described above
