Windows Speech Recognition - Security Issue

Security Issue

In 2007, reports surfaced that Windows Speech Recognition could be used to remotely access and/or control a user's computer. Theoretically, playing a pre-recorded message containing Windows Speech Recognition commands could allow one to execute tasks on another computer remotely. This issue was one of the first Vista vulnerabilities to surface after the release of the operating system to the general public.

Microsoft has officially recognized the vulnerability, but estimates it does not present a serious threat, because even if a hacker does successfully exploit the flaw, they would not be able to perform any functions limited by the access rights of the user, which likely include administrative tasks. Also, in Windows 7, this concern is addressed by a user configurable option to enable or disable voice activation of speech recognition.

Read more about this topic:  Windows Speech Recognition

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