“Smart speakers with voice assistants have become a common item in the apartments of millions of Russians.

They are used as alarm clocks, devices for listening to music, we trust them to communicate with children and control smart home devices.

At the same time, like any other high-tech device, the speaker can become an object of interest for criminals who have sufficient skills to invade privacy,” explained RT’s interlocutor.

According to him, to prevent a smart speaker from becoming a spy, it is important to follow a number of basic rules.

“Make sure your home wireless network is secure: set a complex password on your router, regularly check the network for connections of unidentified devices.

In the Wi-Fi security settings, you must enable network encryption using the WPA2 standard or WPA3, if this standard is supported by the router.

Don't neglect to constantly update your speaker software.

Also, do not forget to turn off the device’s microphone when you are not using it,” the expert recommended.

He recalled that, according to the developers, the speaker should record your voice only after receiving a special command.

However, there are often cases when the device perceives random phrases, for example from a series or TV show running in the background, as a signal to record.

“If possible, turn off the speaker when you leave home, as there is a possibility of hacking the IoT network (Internet of Things network. -

RT

) using voice commands.

In addition, attackers use search engines for the Internet of Things, with the help of which it is quite easy to find out the usernames and passwords of any IoT devices,” Shutov noted.

It is also recommended to clear command history so that it is not stored locally and in the cloud, he noted.

“These commands are needed to make the speaker better recognize your voice, but are not at all required for storage.

In most services, you can delete individual teams, teams for a selected period of time, or the entire history at once.

Teach yourself and your children digital hygiene.

Do not say out loud bank card numbers, passwords, document data and other confidential data,” the analyst concluded.

Earlier, as RT learned, specialists from RTU MIREA presented a robotic complex of their own design, which is capable of moving along vertical surfaces.

It is noted that the device will help perform work on emergency buildings without endangering people.