Tag: Alexa
Voice assistants hackable by laser
March 11, 2020Ginger Hill
The more I think about it, the more I realize I'm a “house purist.” I like my home to be as free as possible from “extra” electronics of any kind. Sure, I have a laptop, smartphone and a rebuilt iPAD from 10 years ago, and I'm connected to the Internet, but I don't have cable TV and quite frankly, I refuse to put a voice assistant of any kind in my home — ever! It creeps me out that some random person can be listening, inserting themselves into my daily existence...
Why's everyone
June 19, 2019Ginger Hill
According to urbandictionary.com, the somewhat “official” definition of “trippin'” means “when someone is overreacting or getting all 'bent out of shape' over something small.” And while most of the more popular IoT devices present themselves as a small physical footprint —for example, Google Home is only 3.79 inches in diameter, 5.62 inches in height and only 1.05 lbs. while on the other side of the ring, fighting for market share is the Amazon...
The eavesdropping Alexa - is it really that much of a shock?
May 15, 2019Ginger Hill
For the past few weeks, I have been rather intrigued with IoT devices, smart homes, and security and safety of people in this context. (After all, aren't our homes supposed to be our safe haven — our place of escape from the crazy, hurried world we live in?) After perusing the internet regarding this topic, I thought I had read about almost everything imaginable, but I was thrown a curve ball by a man, Geoffrey A. Fowler, technology columnist, The Washington Post, who literally made a song...
Americans' trust issues, or lack thereof, with IoT devices and other security-related issues
May 1, 2019Ginger Hill
The last blog I wrote, “What your connected smart home IoT devices are really doing,” highlighted the fact that there are no security standards for IoT manufacturers to follow when creating networked devices. This should cause concern or at least pause for people using such devices, especially in their homes. But, just how aware are consumers about potential risks and do people actually trust the devices they use every day?
ASecureLife conducted a survey of 300 Americans nationwide...