Burger King revealed hackability of voice assistants

Burger King pulled a pretty juicy marketing stunt last month that drew plenty of attention - not just to the Whopper, but also to the intrinsic vulnerabilities of a new type of voice-activated gadget. The fast food chain's 15-second television ad targeted Google Home, a speaker that can answer questions and control other smart appliances. When an actor in the ad said "OK, Google" and asked a question about the Whopper, Google Home obediently began reading the burger's ingredients in homes around the country - effectively extending the commercial for however long it took someone to shout "OK, Google, stop!" FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016, file photo, Google Home, right, sits on display near a Pixel phone following a product event, in San Francisco. Voice assistants such as Google Home, Apple's Siri and Amazon Alexa have always been susceptible to accidental hijack. Burger King's manipulation of Google Home illustrates the vulnerabilities intrinsic to voice assistants that can be targeted by brands, or worse, hackers.