Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant are vulnerable to attacks that use lasers to inject inaudible -- and sometimes invisible -- commands into the devices and surreptitiously cause them to unlock doors, visit websites, and locate, unlock, and start vehicles, researchers report in a research paper published on Monday. Dubbed Light Commands, the attack works against Facebook Portal and a variety of phones. Learn more in an interesting Schneier on Security blog post: . Shining a low-powered laser into these voice-activated systems allows attackers to inject commands of their choice from as far away as 360 feet (110m). Because voice-controlled systems often don't require users to authenticate themselves, the attack can frequently be carried out without the need of a password or PIN. Even when the systems require authentication for certain actions, it may be feasible to brute force the PIN, since many devices don't limit the number of guesses a user can make. Among other things, light-based commands can be sent from one building to another and penetrate glass when a vulnerable device is kept near a closed window. The link for this article located at Schneier on Security is no longer available. . Utilizing low-intensity lasers on voice recognition systems allows malicious actors to transmit unauthorized instructions, creating significant vulnerabilities.. Voice Assistants, Light Commands, Command Injection, Device Security. . Brittany Day
Have you heard that Amazon- and Google-approved apps are turning voice-controlled devices into "smart spies"? Learn more about this serious privacy threat: . By now, the privacy threats posed by Amazon Alexa and Google Home are common knowledge. Workers for both companies routinely listen to audio of users—recordings of which can be kept forever —and the sounds the devices capture can be used in criminal trials . Now, there's a new concern: malicious apps developed by third parties and hosted by Amazon or Google. The threat isn't just theoretical. Whitehat hackers at Germany's Security Research Labs developed eight apps—four Alexa "skills" and four Google Home "actions"—that all passed Amazon or Google security-vetting processes. The skills or actions posed as simple apps for checking horoscopes, with the exception of one, which masqueraded as a random-number generator. Behind the scenes, these "smart spies," as the researchers call them, surreptitiously eavesdropped on users and phished for their passwords. . Uncover the security risks associated with smart devices like Alexa and Google Home, which can be exploited by harmful applications that listen in and harvest sensitive information.. Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Smart Devices, Eavesdropping Threats, Privacy Risks. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Siri may be your personal assistant. But your voice is not the only one she listens to. As a group of French researchers have discovered, Siri also helpfully obeys the orders of any hacker who talks to her . A pair of researchers at ANSSI, a French government agency devoted to information security, have shown that they can use radio waves to silently trigger voice commands on any Android phone or iPhone that has Google Now or Siri enabled, if it also has a pair of headphones with a microphone plugged into its jack. . Scientists demonstrate the potential for cybercriminals to activate Siri and Google Assistant functionalities using radio signals from afar.. Voice Assistant Security, Radio Wave Attacks, Siri Vulnerabilities. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
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