Researchers Find Ways to Boost Security of Voice Control

Researchers Find Ways to Boost Security of Voice Control

Voice activated systems are vulnerable to hacking. Researchers from Michigan have found ways to bolster their security.

  • Oct 23, 2017

University of Michigan researchers have found new ways to bolster security when it comes to voice activated devices and systems. The aims is to eliminate the vulnerabilities associated with voice authentication.

It wasn't long ago when the news was filled with headlines of children ordering gifts off Amazon Prime via the Amazon Echo or Super Bowl commercials waking up Google Home devices to prove an advertising point. These instances go to show how weak the security is surrounding the devices we allow in our homes. 

Just like most other system, voice activated devices, such as Google Home or Amazon Echo, are vulnerable to hacking. With the rise of these devices and the implementation of voice control in a lot of other daily systems, the need for security is great.

Voice automated systems are generally vulnerable because sound is regarded as an "open channel" and this inlet can be easily tricked by impersonators. In many cases, the hacker doesn't even have to be particularly good at impersonations to access the system. A recording of someone's voice could even get past the security that is currently installed on these devices.

This all makes sense as the voice is generally a weak source of cybersecurity.

So, University of Michigan researchers got to work finding ways to give voice automated systems a way to double check itself. They came up with security-token necklaces, ear buds or eyeglasses that would listen in on voice commands and pair them up to on body vibrations to ensure they were coming from the correct source.

The wearable device would continuously register speech-induced vibrations on the user's body. These sound waves are then paired up with the sound of the person's voice. This then creates a unique and secure signature that allows the user to be confident no one else is accessing their devices.

If a person attempts to talk to a voice automated device, but vibrations are not detected, the device will know that the user is not permitted to use the device. Learn more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=65&v=EJHUXgInBOk.

 

 

Featured

  • Maximizing Your Security Budget This Year

    Perimeter Security Standards for Multi-Site Businesses

    When you run or own a business that has multiple locations, it is important to set clear perimeter security standards. By doing this, it allows you to assess and mitigate any potential threats or risks at each site or location efficiently and effectively. Read Now

  • New Research Shows a Continuing Increase in Ransomware Victims

    GuidePoint Security recently announced the release of GuidePoint Research and Intelligence Team’s (GRIT) Q1 2024 Ransomware Report. In addition to revealing a nearly 20% year-over-year increase in the number of ransomware victims, the GRIT Q1 2024 Ransomware Report observes major shifts in the behavioral patterns of ransomware groups following law enforcement activity – including the continued targeting of previously “off-limits” organizations and industries, such as emergency hospitals. Read Now

  • OpenAI's GPT-4 Is Capable of Autonomously Exploiting Zero-Day Vulnerabilities

    According to a new study from four computer scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, OpenAI’s paid chatbot, GPT-4, is capable of autonomously exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities without any human assistance. Read Now

  • Getting in Someone’s Face

    There was a time, not so long ago, when the tradeshow industry must have thought COVID-19 might wipe out face-to-face meetings. It sure seemed that way about three years ago. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • ISC West
Most   Popular

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities 3

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles. 3

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge. 3