Team that hacked Amazon Echo and other smart speakers using a laser pointer continue to investigate why MEMS microphones respond to sound. The same team that last year mounted a signal-injection attack against a range of smart speakers merely by using a. laser pointer are still unraveling the mystery of why the. microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS) microphones in the products turn the light signals into sound. Researchers also delved into how the ecosystem of devices connected to voice-activated assistants also fail under common security vulnerabilities that can make these attacks even more dangerous.
Source: https://threatpost.com/light-based-attacks-digital-home/161583/