VOICE-ACTIVATED DEVICES COULD BE ANOTHER

SECURITY THREAT SMART TECH

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

Voice-activated devices could be vulnerable to attack from malware using text-to-speech emulation programmes.

A report from cyber-security group, AVG, has highlighted that integrated personal assistants like Siri and Cortana could be vulnerable to malware bugs capable of replicating human speech.

FAKING YOUR VOICE

Problems with voice-activated systems were found by Yuval Ben-Itzhak, the chief technology officer at anti-virus firm AVG. He was able to turn on and control a smart TV using a synthesised voice.

He has said the attack worked because the gadget did not confirm who was speaking to it. Therefore, fraudsters could send bogus messages to compromise gadgets in the future.

HOW BIG AN ISSUE IS THIS?

Security researchers have already been able to bypass the lock screen on an iPhone by tricking Siri, so this warning predates a future where voice hackers could override home security systems by using recorded or synthesized speech.

HOW CAN WE PROTECT OURSELVES?

AVG does not have any specific plans to release software to guard against voice hacking. With voice control already present in smartphones and cars, it is a problem that companies need to consider tackling.

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Voice-activated devices could be another security threat