Google Home

Google Home is a voice-controlled "home assistant."

2023: Google will pay $32.5 million to steal technology for its smart speakers

At the end of May 2023, a court in San Francisco issued a ruling according to which Google will have to pay the American audio manufacturer Sonos $32.5 million for violating patents for smart speakers. We are talking about paying $2.3 for each Google Home device sold.

The lawsuit began in 2020, when Sonos accused Google of copying its patented multi-room audio broadcasting technology - the defendant had access to this decision as part of a partnership project that had been implemented since 2013. It was mainly about a function that made it possible to simultaneously control several devices at once in different rooms. Google used it in Chromecast Audio devices and smart products in the line. Nest

Google will pay $32.5 million for stealing technology for speakers

Sonos defended its position in the International Commission, as to trade USA a result of which Google was banned from importing part of the products into the country; in addition, the company had to deprive a number of functions of its smart speakers and smart displays. However, Sonos could not fully prevail, as the court ruled that the Google Home app did not violate another patent registered by Sonos.

Sonos thanked the court for recognizing the value of the company's inventions and stated that its goal remains the same - to ensure that Google pays royalties for the technologies that it "appropriates." According to her, the corporation violates more than 200 Sonos patents. Google said it was disappointed with the court decision.

This is a limited dispute regarding some very specific features that are not commonly used. Of the six patents filed by Sonos, only one was found infringed and the rest were rejected as invalid or undisturbed, Google spokesman Peter Schottenfels said in late May 2023.[1]

2022: A hole found in speakers that allows anyone to listen to users

On December 26, 2022, it became known about a serious vulnerability in Google Home smart speakers, which allows an attacker to gain remote access to the device and eavesdrop on user conversations.

Matt Kunze, an information security specialist, spoke about the problem. Using a hole, a cybercriminal can create his own account on a smart speaker within the wireless access zone. This gives the attacker the ability to send commands to the device via the Internet, intercept the voice stream, change the volume level and make arbitrary HTTP requests on the victim's local network. In addition, an attacker could potentially steal a user's Wi-Fi password and then gain access to other devices on the same network.

Google Home Smart Speaker

According to the researcher, he identified the problem when he studied how easy it is to add new users to a device through the Google Home app. Kunze found that linking an account to a gadget provides excessive control over it. For example, through a new account, you can send commands directly to the speaker using the cloud API. However, an attacker who wants to listen to the victim's conversation must force the user to install a malicious Android application. This can be done, for example, by phishing or using social engineering tools.

The situation is worsened by the fact that the victim may not even be aware of the hack. The only sign of attack is the glow of a blue LED on a smart speaker. But the user, as noted, may think that the device is being updated or performing some other everyday task. For his research, Matt Kunze received a reward of $107,500 from Google.^[2]

2019

How to send silent voice commands to digital assistants using a laser

On November 5, 2019, it became known that a group of specialists from the Tokyo University of Telecommunications (Japan) and the University of Michigan (USA ) developed a way to send silent voice commands to digital assistants using a laser. Scientists have learned using a laser to "talk" with any device capable of receiving voice commands, including smartphones, Amazon Echo smart speakers, Google Home, devices with support for Facebook Portal video calls, etc. Read more here.

Google will distribute 100 thousand smart speakers to paralyzed people

Google Nest will provide 100,000 Google Home Mini smart speakers for free to individuals suffering from paralysis, as well as families where there are such patients.

"Google Nest believes that everyone deserves to live in a home that benefits their inhabitants, so the company will provide up to 100,000 Google Home Mini speakers for free to individuals and families affected by paralysis to improve the quality of life," the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation said in a statement in August 2019. Reeve Foundation through which the devices will be distributed. With the help of speakers, people suffering from paralysis will be able to control their simple daily needs with voice commands. When connecting compatible devices, they can use a voice to turn on the light or thermostat and check who is at the door, the fund explains.

Only people with US resident status can count on columns.

"We live in a world where technology has opened up unprecedented opportunities for people living with paralysis. However, even the best ideas may not be realized if you do not find suitable partners for their implementation, "said Rebecca Laming, vice president of marketing and communications at Reeve Foundation.

Patients with paralysis have already tested Google Nest smart home speakers and devices. They recorded videos in which they told how to regain control of everyday tasks with the help of voice assistants.

2017: Google Home Mini smart speaker caught spying around the clock

Security researcher Artem Russakovsky reported in October 2017^[3] about a hardware failure in the yet to be released Google Home Mini smart speakers. Due to the failure, the device responded to random noises and recorded them several thousand times a day.

The researcher notified Google of the problem. According to Google engineers, the device Russakovsky received had a touch panel defect, which is why she recorded touches that were not actually there. Google Home Mini has a touch surface, and in order to command the device, the user can either say "OK Google," or assign a special codeword or click on the device and hold for some time. Russakovsky's device, apparently, registered touches in a random order, and therefore arbitrarily began to record sounds in his house and send them to Google servers.

Google confirmed the problem, saying that it affects a small number of devices (approximately 4 thousand). We are talking about devices distributed to the press and participants in Made By Google events.

Google has completely disabled the functionality of a long click on the touch panel. According to company representatives, all actions/requests that were created by long pressing on the top of the Google Home Mini from October 4 to October 7 were also removed.

2016: Presentation

On October 4, 2016, Google introduced an audio speaker with "circular" sound - Google Home. The device is equipped with Wi-Fi connection and can be integrated into the home local network and smart home system. The acoustic element received voice control capabilities based on Google Assistant.

Google Home in an Affordable Color Scheme, (2017)

The device can search for information - through the Google search service, play music from cloud services, perform other functions. Google Home can perform tasks on smart home systems:

• adjust the thermostats,
• turn the timers on and off,
• adjust the lighting,
• manage a multi-room music system
• another^[4].

Google Home, (2017)

From smart home systems, the novelty supports products from Nest Labs, Samsung SmartThings, Philips Hue and IFTT.

Some major vendors have announced support for Google Home.

On May 24, 2017, Google introduced the device as a product. The preliminary date for Google Home on sale is November 2017. The recommended retail price ~ $129. There are no data on plans to enter the Russian market.

Google Home View, (2016)

Notes