Author: easyfilo

Enlarge / A group of Amazon Echo smart speakers, including Echo Studio, Echo, and Echo Dot models. (Photo by Neil Godwin/Future Publishing via Getty Images) (credit: T3 Magazine/Getty Images)

Academic researchers have devised a new working exploit that commandeers Amazon Echo smart speakers and forces them to unlock doors, make phone calls and unauthorized purchases, and control furnaces, microwave ovens, and other smart appliances.

The attack works by using the device’s speaker to issue voice commands. As long as the speech contains the device wake word (usually “Alexa” or “Echo”) followed by a permissible command, the Echo will carry it out, researchers from Royal Holloway University in London and Italy’s University of Catania found. Even when devices require verbal confirmation before executing sensitive commands, it’s trivial to bypass the measure by adding the word “yes” about six seconds after issuing the command. Attackers can also exploit what the researchers call the “FVV,” or full voice vulnerability, which allows Echos to make self-issued commands without temporarily reducing the device volume.

Alexa, go hack yourself

Because the hack uses Alexa functionality to force devices to make self-issued commands, the researchers have dubbed it “AvA,” short for Alexa vs. Alexa. It requires only a few seconds of proximity to a vulnerable device while it’s turned on so an attacker can utter a voice command instructing it to pair with an attacker’s Bluetooth-enabled device. As long as the device remains within radio range of the Echo, the attacker will be able to issue commands.

Enlarge / A sign outside Canada’s embassy in Beijing supporting Ukraine. It was later defaced, and posts about the incident were scrubbed from Chinese social media. (credit: Kevin Strayer | Getty Images)

“Artillery fire lights up the sky and breaks my heart. I hope my compatriots in Ukraine are taking care of themselves and their families,” said a user on Weibo, often called China’s Twitter, on February 27. The message was quickly blocked, according to Free Weibo, a service of Great Fire, which tracks Chinese censorship online.

Two days later, a very different message appeared on Weibo: “I support fighting! America and Taiwan have gone too far.” That, too, was blocked, according to Free Weibo.

Enlarge / Derek Wolfe #95 and Von Miller #58 of the Denver Broncos celebrate after Wolfe sacked Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on January 24, 2016 in Denver, Colorado. (credit: Dustin Bradford | Getty Images)

The past two decades have seen Apple transform itself from a maker of expensive computers to a hardware, software, and entertainment Goliath. Live sports may be next on the agenda—according to a report in Front Office Sports, Apple is eying a multibillion-dollar bid for the National Football League’s Sunday Ticket package.

Sunday Ticket, which broadcasts out-of-market NFL games, has been carried by Directv since its launch in 1994. The rights to Sunday Ticket expire after the 2022 season, and with Directv hemorrhaging both subscribers and money, Sunday Ticket is going to have a new home for the 2023 season.

In addition to selling the rights to Sunday Ticket, the NFL is also seeking an investment partner for NFL Media, which includes the league’s website, NFL Network, and NFL RedZone. Apple would also become a minority shareholder in NFL Media, in addition to getting the streaming rights to out-of-market NFL games.

Enlarge / Fire ants form a protrusion from an ant raft. (credit: Vernerey Research Group/CU Boulder)

Fire ants are a textbook example of collective behavior, capable of behaving as individuals, and also banding together to form floating rafts in response to flooding. Now a pair of mechanical engineers from the University of Colorado, Boulder, have identified some simple rules that seem to govern how floating rafts of fire ants contract and expand their shape over time, according to a new paper published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology. The hope is that by gaining a better understanding of the simple rules underlying fire ant behavior, they can develop better algorithms controlling how swarms of robots interact.

It’s not a matter of brain power or careful planning. “This behavior could, essentially, occur spontaneously,” said co-author Robert Wagner. “There doesn’t necessarily need to be any central decision-making by the ants.” Indeed, “Single ants are not as smart as one may think, but, collectively, they become very intelligent and resilient communities,” said co-author Franck Vernerey.

As we’ve reported previously,  a few ants spaced well apart behave like individual ants. But pack enough of them closely together, and they behave more like a single unit, exhibiting both solid and liquid properties. They can form rafts or towers, and you can even pour them from a teapot like a fluid.  Fire ants also excel at regulating their own traffic flow.

Enlarge (credit: Ars Technica)

It’s the weekend, which means it’s time for another Dealmaster. Our latest roundup of the best tech deals from around the web includes a nice chance to save on a Nintendo eShop digital gift card. As of this writing, a $50 gift card for Nintendo’s online game store is available for $45 at Amazon. This isn’t a massive discount, clearly, but it effectively nets you a free $5 if you plan on picking up a new Switch game or two anyway. It’s worth noting that this credit is applicable to purchases on the older Wii U and Nintendo 3DS as well, so if you want to download games on those consoles before their stores shut down next year, this is one way to save a few bucks along the way.

Besides that, our roundup also includes a rare discount on Paramount+ subscriptions. You’ll have to be a new or returning user to take advantage, but if that’s the case, you can take 80 percent off a three-month membership for either the ad-supported “Essential” tier or the (mostly) ad-free “Premium” tier when you use the code “BIRTHDAY” at checkout. This brings the former plan down to $1 per month (instead of $5) and the latter plan—which also includes a live feed of your local CBS station and lets you download shows for later—down to $2 per month (instead of $10).

In general, the streaming service formerly known as CBS All Access doesn’t have as deep a library as competitors like Netflix and HBO Max, but if you wanted to check out shows like Star Trek: Discovery or the upcoming Halo series—or if you just need Nickelodeon shows for your kids—this is a more affordable way to sample the service. Just note that, by default, your subscription will be set to auto-renew at its usual going rate once the discounted period is up. ViacomCBS says this deal will expire on March 7.