Security of voice assistants - how secure are the helpers

Many smart assistants are already in countless living rooms. Whether Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana, Google Home or Amazon Alexa - all assistants help in everyday life. But what about security? Are the assistants really secure or can hackers listen in on your conversations?

How secure are voice assistants really?

The biggest gap in voice assistants is that anyone can give up a command. For example, people can shout a command to Alexa through an open window and order items on the Internet at your expense that you don't even need. Most critical, however, are other security vulnerabilities.

1. If someone exploits a security vulnerability and gains access to your voice assistant, your voice commands can be intercepted and the items rephrased.
2. Another major security shortcoming is the privacy issue. Assistants are enabled all the time so they can hear the signal word and respond. Although it is assured by the manufacturers that the devices only connect to the server when the corresponding keyword is used, whether this is really the case, however, can not be verified.
3. You can, however, Google and Amazon delete the data that has been collected about you.

In the U.S., Amazon already had to surrender voice recordings of Alexa in a murder investigation. This could also soon be the case in other countries.