Signal Winter 2020 Newsletter

You may have heard smart speakers are “always listening” and there- fore recording all your conversations. While it’s true these devices are always on alert for the wake word that activates them, the threat of your personal conversations being recorded is actually very low. QUICK TIP: Ask your smart speaker to help you learn a language. 6 www.alliancecom.net Sure, It’s Smart, But Can It Keep a Secret? How Do Smart Speakers Work? To activate a smart speaker, you speak its wake word and then issue a com- mand. For example, the wake word is “Alexa” for an Amazon Echo device, so you might say, “Alexa, what’s the weather forecast?” The device only records these interactions, not every- thing you say when you’re near it. The danger is that some words sound enough like the wake word to activate the device. “That’s exactly what I was saying the other day” might sound to your speaker like, “Alexa what I was saying the other day.” In these cases, the device may record what you say following the perceived wake word. How Do Technology Companies Use My Information? The tech companies that make these devices—such as Amazon, Apple, and Google—analyze about one percent of recorded commands to improve device functionality. Identifying information is removed, however, so even if your com- mand was heard, no one would know it was you. Can Smart Speakers Be Hacked? Like all electronic devices, smart speakers can be hacked. Because they’re typically connected to other devices, they can also be used as an entry point to attack them. The bottom line is that smart speakers are about as secure as any other electronic device. Since using them does entail some risk, you’ll need to decide for yourself whether it’s worth the potential benefits. Up Your Speaker’s Security IQ Fortunately, when using a smart speaker, there are steps you can take to prevent privacy intrusions and hacking. Security software company Norton offers these tips: 1. Be selective about what you connect to your smart speaker. For example, avoid connecting to security functions like door locks. 2. Use your device’s software to delete any commands you don’t want kept. 3. Never tell your smart speaker sensi- tive information like credit card or Social Security numbers. 4. Set up a purchasing password so no one without the password can make purchases using your device. 5. Use WPA2 encrypted Wi-Fi, not an open hotspot. 6. Enable voice recognition, which can tell different voices apart. 7. Create a secure password for the ser- vice account linked to your device. Source: https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity- iot-can-smart-speakers-be-hacked.html