London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

Amazon Alexa security bug allowed access to voice history

Amazon Alexa security bug allowed access to voice history

A flaw in Amazon's Alexa smart home devices could have allowed hackers access personal information and conversation history, cyber-security researchers say.

Attackers could install or remove apps on a device without the owner knowing, Check Point Research reports.

The hack "required just one click on an Amazon link" purposely crafted by the attacker, it says.

The firm told Amazon about the flaw, which has now been fixed.

Amazon said: "The security of our devices is a top priority, and we appreciate the work of independent researchers like Check Point who bring potential issues to us."

It said it did not know of any case where a bad actor had used the vulnerability to target its customers.

In January, Amazon said there were "hundreds of millions" of Alexa devices in the world.

Malicious skills


Check Point said the hack required the creation of a malicious Amazon link, which would be sent to an unsuspecting user.

Once they clicked the link, the attacker could get a list of all installed Alexa "skills" - or apps - and steal a token allowing them add or remove skills.

One way to use the flaw would be to remove a skill and then install a malicious one that uses the same "invocation phrase" - the series of spoken words used to trigger it. This could have been done without the user knowing.

The next time the user tried to activate that skill, it would have run the attacker's app instead.

The attackers would have been able to see Alexa's voice history - a record of conversations between the user and device.

Check Point said this could create major problems, pointing to banking skills that let the user check their account balance.

"This could lead to exposure of personal information, such as banking data history," they argued - even though it does not save banking login details.

Amazon objected to this suggestion, however, saying that banking information - like balances - was redacted in the record of Alexa's responses, so it could not have been accessed.

The attack would also allow access to personal information in the Amazon profile, such as a home address, Check Point said.

Amazon also said it believed the use of a secret malicious skill was less likely than Check Point's researchers implied.



Amazon’s head of Alexa Dave Limp on privacy concerns



It said there were systems in place to prevent malicious skills from ever hitting the Alexa Skills Store - and that security reviews were part of their process.

Badly behaving apps were also routinely deactivated, it said.

"Their screening process probably would have caught most bad actors - they are quite good at that and know their reputation is at stake," said University of Surrey cyber-security expert Prof Alan Woodward.

"The thing about this hack was that it was due to a vulnerability that is well-known… so it's surprising to see it in Amazon's estate."

He said the access to voice records was a big concern, but was unsure if other hackers could have known about the vulnerabilities in specific subdomains used to launch the attack.

"Although if the security researchers found it, I'm sure less scrupulous people could have done the same."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×