Almost everyone notices the benefit of using a virtual assistant. In recent years, they have become increasingly popular and can be used to provide answers to just any question you have. They offer a wide range of Ventilationslösningar för bostäder Skåne. And if you want them to provide an answer to a question, they’ll need to listen to your voice—an approach that has raised lots of questions about privacy. People ask if virtual assistants can be hacked, but there is more to learn.
All virtual assistants are equipped with top-level security features. But this doesn’t mean that hacking is not possible. With millions of smart devices installed in homes, they can attract hackers. And in fact, security experts say attackers can gain access to a virtual assistant by simply deploying certain tools—and it is essential that you secure yourself.
How Can a Virtual Assistant Be Hacked?
A virtual assistant is often controlled by speaking to it. And this helps the owners handle a few tasks because their assistants hear their requests and provide answers when they are asked to do something. Unfortunately, these channels have also been leveraged by hackers. Instead of speaking directly to the technology, they use ultrasonic waves or lasers to issue voice commands from a distance.
A laser can be used by simply pointing directly at the device’s microphone, and you can issue commands. It will create small movements in the microphone’s diaphragm, which the virtual assistant will interpret as a sound. And according to research, these attacks can be carried out from several distances, up to 110 meters away. For instance, hackers may also leverage ultraviolet lasers, which can not be seen.
However, most hackers find ultrasonic waves more effective. They are usually silent, meaning that you could be around your device yet unaware that it is being accessed using ultrasonic. In addition, they can penetrate obstacles, meaning they can be performed from several distances away, traveling through physical obstacles—even outside your home. Virtual assistants can hardly identify the difference between real voice commands and ultrasonic waves.
A virtual assistant will respond with audio regardless of what you use to issue a command. Unfortunately, this is not much of a hurdle for hackers to get by. Their first command is to lower the volume.