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More and more people are using smart speakers like Bose and Sonos to listen to their favorite tracks without the need of searching for a device with a 3.5mm jack or dusting off the CD player. However, there are some drawbacks to wireless speakers as they can be hijacked, according to a group of experts’ report.
Users that have purchased Sonos or Bose should be wary that their wifi connected devices and smart speakers can be remotely hijacked. In some cases, hackers can use the speakers to play creepy sounds, while in other cases they can tamper with the devices’ smart assistant.
According to a report from Wired, a team of cybersecurity experts at Trend Micro has found that even the latest models of speakers for the two brands can be easily hijacked. Researchers have managed to hack the Bose SoundTouch and Sonos One and play their favorite tracks without users’ consent.
Smart Speakers at Risk
Experts explained that the devices are all-the-more vulnerable if the network has been poorly configured. In that case, hackers can breach the network and take control of the smart speakers and other wireless devices. The truth is that thousands of intelligent speakers are vulnerable as they are connected to a poorly secured network.
What’s more, if a device has been compromised, the speakers are vulnerable to any hacking attempt. The devices are also at risk if users have configured their home networks for direct access to an external server when setting up a game server, for example.
Mark Nunnikhoven from Trend Micro explained that a major vulnerability of the smart speakers is that they consider a network to be safe by default. Any hacker can start controlling a wireless speaker if the main device has been compromised or the network is faulty.
Researchers found that hackers could exploit up to 5,000 Sonos smart speakers and around 500 Bose ones.
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