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A combined research has been conducted by UC Berkeley and Georgetown University to demonstrate how distorted voice commands hidden in YouTube videos can be used to attack a smartphone. The research shows that certain harmful commands that can be understood by our voice assistants can be hidden inside a YouTube video.
Speech recognition systems have trailed on the path of advancement faster than what the world has expected. We’re very well aware of the presence of mind shown by Siri and Cortana. But these qualities manifested by our beloved voice assistants have now become a matter of concern.According to a research paper titled as Hidden Voice Commands, an attacker can use video from YouTube or any other source to hack your smartphone. Sounds next to impossible but the idea is not that insane as you may assume. The researchers are sure about the experiments they’ve carried out.
What exactly happens is that voice commands which can be understood by voice assistants are packed inside a YouTube video such that a human can’t understand them.
Once you start playing a YouTube video on your computer or laptop on speakers, the hidden commands in the malicious video can trigger operations in your smartphone lying nearby. Tasks like opening a particular web page and downloading some malware can be accomplished even without the knowledge of the user. This would allow the attacker to perform things on your device which you might regret.
Two models have been proposed in the research conducted at UC Berkeley and Georgetown University. First, the black-box model, which consists of testing with voices which can be deciphered by a human if he concentrates. A prime benefit described is that if the listener already knows that command present in the distorted voice, then it would be easy for him to understand it by unconsciously hearing the message.
Listen yourself:
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The White-box model involves totally distorted voices for which chances are next to impossible of being understood by a human.
Example:
The researchers are also working on an alarming system which would warn the users if any such command gets initiated on their smartphone. The attack detection accuracy is 99.8% with a machine learning approach and a challenge response system created by the researchers. You can visit the Hidden Voice Commands website for more such commands and other technical stuff about the research. Security issues like these are a great worry in the century when tech giants are busy enhancing the ability of their voice assistants. For example, Google is working on a version of Google Now which works without the internet. Check out the demo video uploaded by the researchers. In the video, they have shown how the smartphone response to distorted voice commands:
Feel free to share your views about these developments in the comments below.

If you already have a BlackBerry® ID (BBID), you know it is a convenient way to access BlackBerry products and services. A BBID allows you to download and manage your apps from the BlackBerry App World™ storefront and log into any BlackBerry product that supports a BlackBerry ID.
For those that plan on purchasing a new BlackBerry® 7 OS smartphone and don’t have a BBID, you will need to create one when you first set up your new device. If you are using an older BlackBerry smartphone, a BBID can be created by accessing BlackBerry App World on your smartphone or by navigating to the BlackBerry ID website.
Here’s an overview of how to create a BlackBerry ID when setting up a new BlackBerry 7 OS smartphone.

To create a BBID, all you need is a valid email address that you can access from a web browser on your desktop, laptop or tablet. An important thing to keep in mind is that this email address can be any account you have and does not need to be associated with your BlackBerry smartphone or BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet.

Creating a BBID on a BlackBerry 7 smartphone for the first time

After starting a BlackBerry 7 OS smartphone for the first time, you will be shown a short video that outlines some of the features offered by your device. You will then be presented with the BlackBerry ID sign up page. From here you can create your BlackBerry ID using the steps below.
Note: If you didn’t follow the prompt to create a BlackBerry ID after starting up, select “Setup” from the Home screen followed by “BlackBerry ID”.
1. Review and if you are in agreement, accept the BlackBerry ID license agreement
2. Fill out all or only the required fields, which are marked with a asterisk(*):

Three fields in particular you should be aware of are when signing up for a BlackBerry ID:
User Name – A user name is a valid email address that can be accessed from a web browser on a desktop, laptop or tablet.
Screen Name – Although not required, setting a screen name is recommended as this is the name that will appear on BlackBerry websites; for example, when you review an application in BlackBerry App World.
Password – When creating a password, it is highly recommended that you choose a secure password that only you would know. This is important because any BlackBerry App World purchasing information you may enter later will be linked to your BlackBerry ID.
3. After submitting your BlackBerry ID account information, you’ll get an email sent to the address you entered for a user name. It contains an activation link in the body of the message allowing you to verify your email address. Clicking the link will activate your BlackBerry ID.
4. Enter your BlackBerry ID login credentials and select “Login”.

Now that you have your BlackBerry 7 OS smartphone up and running with BlackBerry ID, I’d recommend signing up for BlackBerry® Protect™, a free application designed to help find your lost BlackBerry smartphone and allows you to back up some of the information on your smartphone on our secure servers. It can offer peace of mind for small businesses and families, with the ability to protect multiple smartphones. Here are 5 Reasons Why You Should Use BlackBerry Protect on your BlackBerry smartphone.
Don’t forget to stop by the BlackBerry Community Support Forums and join in the conversations with other BlackBerry owners. As always, if you have a question, leave a comment and let me know!

Over the years there have been quite a couple of WorldClock apps ready for BlackBerry. The current one Ive been utilizing is a free World Clock of AFBB. The app offers loads of boasting and displaying your multiple clocks up on one screen.

Motorola made a smartphone that is supposed to have unbreakable display. Their Droid Turbo 2 is "Shatterproof"

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