Although Amazon and Google respond to reports of vulnerabilities in popular home smart assistants Alexa and Google Home, hackers continually work hard to exploit any vulnerabilities to be able to listen to users’ every word to obtain sensitive information that can be used in future attacks.

Last week, it was reported by ZDNet that two security researchers at Security Research Labs (SRLabs) discovered that phishing and eavesdropping vectors are being used by hackers to “provide access to functions that developers can use to customize the commands to which a smart assistant responds, and the way the assistant replies.” The hackers can use the technology that Amazon and Google provides to app developers for the Alexa and Google Home products.

By putting certain commands into the back end of a normal Alexa/Google Home app, the attacker can silence the assistant for long periods of time, although the assistant is still active. After the silence, the attacker sends a phishing message, which makes the user believe had nothing to do with the app that they interacted with. The user is then asked for the Amazon/Google password and sends a fake message to the user that looks like it is from Amazon or Google. The user is then sent a message claiming to be from Amazon or Google and asking for the user’s password. Once the hacker has access to the home assistant, the hacker can eavesdrop on the user, keep the listening device active and record the users’ conversations. Obviously, when attackers eavesdrop on every word, even when it appears the device is turned off, they can obtain information that is highly personal and can be used malevolently in the future.

The manufacturers of the home smart assistants reiterate to users that the devices will never ask for their account password. Cyber hygiene for home assistants is no different than cyber hygiene with emails.

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