Amazon Echo turned into listening bug through complex hack

[Newsfeed]

Amazon Echo turned into listening bug through complex hack

Security researchers from China will present their hack of the Amazon Echo, which turns it into a spying device, at the DEFCON event in Las Vegas.

Wu Huiyu and Qian Wenxiang, who work at Tencent, disclosed their discovery to Amazon which issued a patch, Wired reported.

 

[gregmcc]

To take over an Echo, the researchers disassembled it and wrote custom firmware to the device’s flash chip – which they had to remove and re-solder to the Echo’s motherboard.

So they need access to the wifi network and physical access to Echo. Why not just plant a surveillance bug in the house?

 

[R13...]

So they need access to the wifi network and physical access to Echo. Why not just plant a surveillance bug in the house?

Maybe to demonstrate how you could in theory have people buy and plant bugs in their own homes. Just buy the device, mod it and sell it on.

 

[Johnatan56]

Maybe to demonstrate how you could in theory have people buy and plant bugs in their own homes. Just buy the device, mod it and sell it on.

Which you'd be able to do with nearly anything...

 

[My_King]

Which you'd be able to do with nearly anything...

Spot on

 

[Thor]

But they are passive listening devices...

 

[garyc]

So they need access to the wifi network and physical access to Echo. Why not just plant a surveillance bug in the house?

This way the user will diligently charge the battery.

 

[kianm]

Quite a process, but yeah demonstrates the possibilities

 

[JerryMungo]

Certainly not a big deal for most consumers. As already mentioned... just swap out the victims Echo with a gyppo'd one. The biggest risk is from IT support or Amazon sales and logistics team. I agree that having an apparently functioning Echo spying on you is more compelling than hiding something that could be spotted... this could be used in covert ops no doubt.