The hidden command Alexa and Siri can hear, but you can’t. While many of us have grown accustomed to talk to our smart devices, we’ve been unaware someone else might be secretly talking to them too.
Over the last two years, researchers in China and the U.S. have begun demonstrating that they can send hidden commands, undetectable to the human ear, to Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and even Google’s Assistant. Researchers, like a group of students from University of California, Berkeley, can secretly activate the artificial intelligence systems on smartphones by hiding commands in white noise played over loudspeakers or through videos. Then, the commands can make the phone dial numbers, open websites, or even turn on airplane mode. A major concern of this turn in technology is that, if found in the wrong hands, it could be used to wire money or unlock doors. While there isn’t any evidence that the techniques have left the lab yet, it seems like only a matter of time before someone starts exploiting them in a malicious manner. This also shows that even as artificial intelligence makes great strides, it can still be tricked and manipulated, and used negatively.
Not much has been disclosed about security measures to prevent against such secret attacks. Amazon, Google, and Apple have all said security is an ongoing focus, but it is unclear exactly what measures are being taken. To learn more about how the secret commands work, and other subliminal messaging we’ve recently been exposed to, visit here.
