Coupling Path Analysis for Smart Speaker Intentional Electromagnetic Interference Attacks

This paper shows an improved understanding of the coupling path for intentional electromagnetic interference (IEMI) attacks on smart speaker devices. This includes a method for finding the ideal attack angle and locating the region sensitive to the coupled EMI. In previous works, it was shown to be possible to send RF commands to a smart speaker and have these commands be interpreted as voice commands by the microphone. However, the attack still had some limited understanding in terms of the coupling path location and long-distance attack potential. Using the improved understanding of the attack, a longer attack distance is achieved (6 meters) with only 6.5 Watts of power.