Posted on 10/16/2015 9:14:16 AM PDT by Vision Thing
Apple's Siri will listen to anyone — even hackers.
French researchers have discovered a way to remotely gain access to Siri and Google Now on iOS and Android, respectively.
The research team from ANSSI — a French government agency specializing in information security — were then able to control the intelligent personal assistants by using headphones with built-in microphones as antennas.
Hackers could use radio waves transmitted from the antenna of the headphones to eavesdrop on private conversations, send the device browser to a malware site or shoot spam and phishing messages through email and social media sites — such as Facebook and Twitter — Wired magazine reported.
"The possibility of inducing parasitic signals on the audio front-end of voice-command-capable devices could raise critical security impacts," the French researchers, Jose Lopes Esteves and Chaouki Kasmi, said in a paper published by the IEEE. Radio signals transmitted from the antenna can be used to eavesdrop on conversations.
According to Esteves and Kasmi's findings, the radio attack could reach up to more than 16 feet.
But the equipment you would need to hack with a lot of speed and power requires larger batteries and could fit inside a car or van.
"You could imagine a bar or an airport where there are lots of people," Vincent Strubel, director of the ANSSI research team, told the magazine.
"Sending out some electromagnetic waves could cause a lot of smartphones to call a paid number and generate cash."
Attacks are highly unlikely but not impossible.
The researchers recommend tech companies to put better shields on headphone cords or give users the option of customizing their own commands.
And for those that are really paranoid, you could always turn off the digital assistants in settings.
Hackers: French researchers
Bank Robbers: Bank analysts
Only if I turn that crap on.
I am waiting for the big reset when people finally realize all this cloud shiite and technology is not always a good thing.
At least the French researchers offered a couple of recommendations. The strongest recommendation, especially for those who don’t use Siri or Google Now, is just to turn them off completely.
Yes, but let's make an exception for Free Republic! We're keeping this place alive.
Yes, but let's make an exception for Free Republic! We're keeping this place alive.
Looks like the Free Republic servers liked this post so much that it posted it again. :)
But the double posts make me nervous sometimes.
It’s like those deja vu moments in the movie The Matrix.
I agree. I also find this another time when I realize I don’t use Siri as much as I should. It can actually be somewhat useful.
I’ve rarely used Google Now on my android phones, but when I have, it’s quite useful and convenient. I know we shouldn’t use our phones while driving, but having a voice-enabled assistant like Siri and Google Now really helps in this situation.
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