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A team of researchers from the University of Michigan and UEC Tokyo have just accidentally discovered that smart speakers, or anything that operates from voice command, are able to be hacked with a laser beam.
But how does a light manipulate a speaker? Researchers think it might be due to something called the photoacoustic effect, and it means that the light of the laser somehow perturbs the microphone's membrane at the same frequency as a voice command would and the microphone interprets the incoming light into a digital signal, just as it would with sound waves. But they're not exactly sure, so at this point it's just speculation.
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The researchers carried out a number of tests on smart speakers in a study called Light Commands. In the test, the team used 16 different smart speakers, smart phones and voice-controlled devices. Pointing a 60 milliwatt laser at the devices, they found that nearly all of the devices responded to the 'commands' from 164 feet away. Smart phones were only able to be controlled from a closer distance of 16-33 feet.
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In a second experiment, the team tested the devices with a 5 milliwatt laser - the strength of a cheap laser - and moved 361 feet away from the devices. Although most of the devices didn't register this laser, a Google Home and a first-generation Echo Plus did respond to the laser. In another experiment, the researchers controlled a Google Home device through a window from a distance of 250 feet away.
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Although smart speakers are protected from outside noises inside a closed house, they are certainly not protected from beams of light. What's more, for thoroughness the researchers used an infrared laser (they are invisible to the human eye) and were able to control Google Home and Echo at close ranges (they didn't try long ranges for fear of blinding someone).
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Once a hacker controls your smart speaker, they aren't limited to putting on bad music. If you have a smart lock or any other smart devices you have in your house - like your front door or car - hackers can manipulate these, as well as using your account to go shopping online.
The researchers aren't sure that this bug can be fixed in existing smart speakers, so until upgraded versions are put on the shelves, there's only one way to protect your home: don't put your speaker in the line of sight of anyone outside. And for the love of god, do not put your smart speaker on a window sill.
Anyone Can Hack Your Smart Speaker With Laser
Researchers have just discovered that the microphone in your smart speaker is able to be hacked by a simple laser. While it's concerning, don't worry: there's a way to get around it. Turns out even technology has fails.
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