Hackers can attack Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant with just one laser

Smart speakers such as Google Home, Amazon Echo, and more are slowly coming into every home. However a device that “always listens” raises security questions. Especially when this device can be controlled by someone outside the home.

University of Michigan security researchers have revealed how they can remotely control Google Assistant, Alexa and Siri using a laser beam.

So as you give a voice command to the device, a similar command can be transmitted by the laser light. The intricate technical details are mentioned in the paper published after 7 months of experiments. The researchers then took advantage of this weakness of the system and were able to target a laser beam hundreds of meters away using a telephoto lens. The beam arrived at the Google Home microphone door through an open window and essentially commanded ” OK Google, open the garage door ” via electrical signals.

In addition to home access, this method can be used to make online purchases, open doors with smart locks, and unlock cars that have voice command compatibility. Researchers have already alerted Tesla, Ford, Amazon, Apple and Google about the issue, and point out that covering adhesive tape with microphones doesn’t help.

The same method was used to crack smartphones, but it took a much shorter distance of 20 meters. The devices that have been successfully tested by researchers are: