More than 200 million Amazon Alexa devices were at risk of cyber attacks due to a bug found lurking in the smart assistant. Security researchers found a vulnerability that lets cybercriminals obtain voice history data, along with deleting and installing commands and apps. The team discovered a misconfiguration in the system the permitted them to perform actions on the victim's behalf and view personal information. Amazon has since rolled out a patch after the issue was reported to the tech giant and notes it is not aware of any incidents related to the bug. More than 200 million Amazon Alexa devices were at risk of cyber attacks due to a bug found lurking in the smart assistant.

An Echo Dot owner claims that Amazon's Alexa assistant has started calling him a's*******' whenever he asks the personal assistant to play him music. Micheal Slade, 29, was reportedly shocked when his Echo Dot speaker began to swear at him following his cancellation of his Amazon Prime subscription. The incident has reportedly left Amazon engineers puzzled -- with the tech firm offering Mr Slade gift cards and a year of free Prime membership in compensation. Software is available for the Echo Dot speaker that can make Alexa curse -- but it is unclear whether someone might have deliberately uploaded this to the device. An Echo Dot owner claims that Amazon's Alexa assistant has started calling him a's*******' whenever he asks the personal assistant to play him music Online business owner and Cwmbran, South Wales resident Michael Slade, 29, said that the trouble began the day after called Amazon to cancel his subscription to their Prime subscription service.

Amazon, Apple and Google voice assistants and smart TVs could find out if a person is cheating on their partner, a data expert has claimed. Smart gadgets, which are used by one in ten people around the UK, can harvest enough data to work out the dynamics of a relationship, they say. They have the potential to record saucy conversations and analyse location data to discover secret affairs. The virtual assistants can show when occupants are in a building, or for example, share a bedroom, by using sensor logs and smart meters. There is already ambiguity when it comes to these companies privacy policies and how they collect and use people's data.

Amazon's Alexa has gone down and is ignoring user's requests, according to numerous reports from customers. Alexa is the name given to the artificial intelligence (AI) system that powers the Echo device range. The smart assistant has been down since early this morning but users say that the device either won't switch off or is switching itself off. Outage tracker Down Detector– the website that tracks outages – received hundreds of complaints about Alexa not working at around 8am this morning UK time. Amazon's Alexa has gone down and is ignoring user's requests, according to reports from frustrated customers.

Alexa may soon be able to act as an in-house doctor for poorly or upset users. A patent that was filed by Amazon reveals that Alexa will automatically detect unusual changes in a person's voice and speaking patterns. The AI-powered smart speaker will also pick up on auditory clues like coughs and moans then offer suggestions to held aid a speedy recovery. These could include suggesting you eat a bowl of chicken soup as well as offering to deliver cough tablets, tissues and play you soothing music. Amazon has successfully obtained a patent which would allow Alexa to detect unusual changes in a person's voice caused by illness or crying.

Creepy Amazon and Google smart speakers have been freaking users out with unprompted statements and comments. One woman was so scared by comments made from her Amazon Echo AI device, that she simply unplugged it and put it in a draw for several days. The owner had been sat on her bed one day listening to music and crying because she had just quit her job, when she said she heard a voice telling her: 'It's going to be OK'. Creepy Amazon and Google smart speakers have been freaking users out with unprompted statements and comments. However, these comforting words did not make the woman feel better as the words had come from Alexa, the Echo Dot speaker which had been set up on her night stand, the Wall Street Journal said.

Fans of Sony's high-end audio products will soon be able to control what they listen to – using the sound of their voices. The Japanese firm has announced that users will be able to use Amazon's Alexa smart assistant to control its soundbar and wireless headphones. This will give them access to tens of thousands of skills built into the AI software, including asking to play music, hear the news, and control smart home devices. Owners of compatible hardware will need to install the latest firmware updates to enable the voice assistant. Sony has yet to confirm the exact headphone and soundbars models that will get the firmware update.