There has been much talk recently about thelaunch of Windows Vista, and one feature in particular: SpeechRecognition. Speech Recognition allows the user to dictate arbitrarytext to the computer (a letter for example) using speech instead of thekeyboard. It also allows the user to carry out normal computing tasksvia a choice of pre-defined commands. There are commands such as"delete that," "press escape key," and "what can I say?" This last oneshows the user what kinds of command they can use in the currentsituation. If Speech Recognition is running, but sleeping, the usersays "start listening" to activate it.
It has been suggested that Speech Recognition could be subverted fornefarious purposes using malicious audio clips. The scenario would beas follows:
• The user is browsing the Web, with Speech Recognition enabled. • They visit a Web site, with a background audio clip that plays as soon as the site is opened. • The audio clip contains...
