Back
Cyber Security Training & Software for Companies | MetaCompliance

Products

Discover our suite of personalised Security Awareness Training solutions, designed to empower and educate your team against modern cyber threats. From policy management to phishing simulations, our platform equips your workforce with the knowledge and skills needed to safeguard your organisation.

Cyber Security eLearning

Cyber Security eLearning to Explore our Award-Winning eLearning Library, Tailored for Every Department

Security Awareness Automation

Schedule Your Annual Awareness Campaign In A Few Clicks

Phishing Simulation

Stop Phishing Attacks In Their Tracks With Award-Winning Phishing Software

Policy Management

Centralise Your Policies In One Place And Effortlessly Manage Policy Lifecycles

Privacy Management

Control, Monitor, and Manage Compliance with Ease

Incident Management

Take Control Of Internal Incidents And Remediate What Matters

Back
Industry

Industries

Explore the versatility of our solutions across diverse industries. From the dynamic tech sector to healthcare, delve into how our solutions are making waves across multiple sectors. 


Financial Services

Creating A First Line Of Defence For Financial Service Organisations

Governments

A Go-To Security Awareness Solution For Governments

Enterprises

A Security Awareness Training Solution For Large Enterprises

Remote Workers

Embed A Culture Of Security Awareness - Even At Home

Education Sector

Engaging Security Awareness Training For The Education Sector

Healthcare Workers

See Our Tailored Security Awareness For Healthcare Workers

Tech Industry

Transforming Security Awareness Training In The Tech Industry

NIS2 Compliance

Support Your Nis2 Compliance Requirements With Cyber Security Awareness Initiatives

Back
Resources

Resources

From posters and policies to ultimate guides and case studies, our free awareness assets can be used to help improve cyber security awareness within your organisation.

Cyber Security Awareness For Dummies

An Indispensable Resource For Creating A Culture Of Cyber Awareness

Dummies Guide To Cyber Security Elearning

The Ultimate Guide To Implementing Effective Cyber Security Elearning

Ultimate Guide To Phishing

Educate Employees About How To Detect And Prevent Phishing Attacks

Free Awareness Posters

Download These Complimentary Posters To Enhance Employee Vigilance

Anti Phishing Policy

Create A Security-Conscious Culture And Promote Awareness Of Cyber Security Threats

Case Studies

Hear How We’re Helping Our Customers Drive Positive Behaviour In Their Organisations

A-Z Cyber Security Terminology

A Glossary Of Must-Know Cyber Security Terms

Cyber Security Behavioural Maturity Model

Audit Your Awareness Training And Benchmark Your Organisation Against Best Practice

Free Stuff

Download Our Free Awareness Assets To Improve Cyber Security Awareness In Your Organisation

Back
MetaCompliance | Cyber Security Training & Software for Employees

About

With 18+ years of experience in the Cyber Security and Compliance market, MetaCompliance provides an innovative solution for staff information security awareness and incident management automation. The MetaCompliance platform was created to meet customer needs for a single, comprehensive solution to manage the people risks surrounding Cyber Security, Data Protection and Compliance.

Why Choose Us

Learn Why Metacompliance Is The Trusted Partner For Security Awareness Training

Employee Engagement Specialists

We Make It Easier To Engage Employees And Create a Culture of Cyber Awareness

Leadership

Meet the MetaCompliance Leadership Team

MetaBlog

Stay informed about cyber awareness training topics and mitigate risk in your organisation.

How to Secure your Smart Speaker When Working Remotely

about the author

Share this post

The unprecedented spread of the COVID-19 has left commercial buildings empty, with most of the global workforce now working from their homes where possible. The threat of coronavirus has disrupted modern working life as employees embrace remote working and shift to a ‘home office’.

According to ABI Research, almost 79 million homes will have a connected device by 2024. There’s no doubt that smart speakers and voice assistants such as Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod and Google Home have helped to make our lives easier and more convenient. Yet as smart speakers become increasingly popular, users are also becoming increasingly concerned about their uninterrupted access to their homes and personal information.

Last year, there was a vast increase in IoT-related data breaches specifically due to an unsecured IoT device or application compared to 2017, up from 15% to 26%. In recent years, smart speakers have expanded their abilities far beyond simply helping us select music or set kitchen timers. They now assist us with everything from scheduling our daily calendars to controlling other smart devices from within the home.

According to a report from Northeastern University, smart speakers accidentally activate as many as 19 times a day, recording as much as 43 seconds of audio each time. Recent research also suggests that 59% of smart speaker users have privacy concerns, with unwanted listening and data collection being front and centre.

In 2018, Amazon was accused of recording personal conversations using virtual assistants when its Amazon Echo device had recorded a conversation between a husband and wife and then sent it to the husband’s employees. 

Unfortunately, this has not been the first report of smart devices listening and recording conversations. In October 2019, a vulnerability affecting Google and Amazon smart speakers was widely reported. According to researchers, malicious cybercriminals could easily upload voice controlled apps that secretly record users and ask for their passwords. This type of attack which is known as voice phishing or vishing, is a phishing attack that is conducted by phone and often targets users of Voice over IP services.

Amazon has also come under fire as the organisation openly employs thousands of workers to transcribe and annotate conversations which are then fed back into the software as part of an effort to enhance its understanding of human speech and help Alexa respond to commands better. 

A spokesperson for Amazon said “We only annotate an extremely small number of interactions from a random set of customers in order to improve the customer experience. Amazon uses this information to train its speech recognition and natural language understanding systems, so Alexa can better understand requests and ensure the service works well for everyone.”

With more people working from home than ever before, many employers are urging their staff to power down the technology in order to keep it from listening to confidential conversations and conference calls.

However, privacy concerns are not the only threat which are putting employees at risk.Hackers also recognise that these technologies are relatively new, which means that many of them still lack substantial security measures. As many devices have shared vulnerabilities, one connected device can easily lead hackers to another, enabling them to collect more personal data which they can then sell online, use for ransom and even commit financial fraud or identity theft.

With the right precautions, users can learn how to live alongside these gadgets successfully and safely. To secure your smart speaker when working remotely, there are a several steps to take:

Avoid Sharing Sensitive Data

Never share information with your smart speaker, such as passwords, credit card details, and various other personal identifying information that criminals can use to target you and your family. If an app on your device asks for this type of information, it could be a malicious piece of software.

Users should also regularly review and remove the voice clips associated with their devices. If you notice some records have details that you would prefer to keep private, delete them by following the steps each brand provides in its help documentation.

Disable Purchase Commands

Devices such as Amazon Echo and Google Home enable users to make purchases with a simple voice command. Essentially, this means that anyone with access to your device could make purchases with your connected account. By disabling Voice Purchasing, users can still shop with their virtual assistants and add items to their cart. However, they will not be able to complete the transaction from the speaker itself.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Enabling two-factor authentication offers an extra layer of defence in protecting the security of your personal information. In addition to a password, two-factor authentication requires a second piece of information to confirm your identity. For example, if you wish to connect third-party apps or make a payment, you can require the device to send a confirmation code to your smartphone. This reduces the chance of a hacker being able to gain easy access to your accounts.

Secure your Wi-Fi

Any traffic to and from your smart devices must pass through your home’s Wi-Fi connection and as such, a secure home network is key to securing your smart home devices. If your router supports multiple networks, consider creating a secondary network just for smart devices. You should also update your Wi-Fi software to protect the network security of your home. The router’s firmware like any other type of software can contain vulnerabilities that hackers will look to exploit.

Turn on Voice Recognition

Many smart speakers now have the capability to recognise different voices. To reduce the risk of unauthorised users issuing commands, consider enabling voice recognition. This allows you to limit who is able to use the device and enables the device to identify your voice and respond to authorised commands.

Configure your Personal Data Settings

By default, some smart speakers are configured to use your personal data to improve and enhance your experience. Users should review their privacy settings and be informed about what their personal information will be used for.

Limit Connected Devices

Although it may be appealing to connect  all the smart devices in your home, users should be aware of the security concerns. Before you connect multiple accounts to your device, consider the consequences that could result if a hacker gained access to your smart speaker.

Turn off the Speaker When You’re Not Using It

The most simple step to secure your smart speaker is to turn off your device when you’re not using it. If you are concerned about keeping your phone calls private while working from home, unplug your smart speakers or hit the mute button on the speaker itself for peace of mind.

Other Articles on Cyber Security Awareness Training You Might Find Interesting