Shostack + Friends Blog

 

Parroting Bad Security Advice

[no description provided]
A PARROT has become the latest voice to fool Amazon's Alexa voice assistant after ordering gift boxes using an Amazon Echo. Buddy the African Grey Parrot, mimicked his owner's voice so convincingly that her Amazon Echo accepted the order for six gift boxes. (" Parrot mimics owner to make purchases using Amazon Echo.") [link to https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/3017840/parrot-mimics-owner-to-make-purchases-using-amazon-echo no longer works]
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As Alexa has a facility to require a PIN code before placing an order, it was really down to the family that their bird was able to make the request.

Of course, Buddy would have been unable to learn the PIN.

Via Michael Froomkin.