If You Have An Amazon Alexa Device, You Need To Check This Security Update List
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If you own an Amazon Alexa device like the Amazon Echo and are concerned with malicious actors gaining access to your gaining access to your smart home hub through security vulnerabilities, your worries may not be unwarranted. According to Amazon, security updates on Amazon Alexa products, including the Echo, subwoofers, and switches, are only guaranteed for up to four years after the device is last available on the website. Unfortunately, this means that updated security support doesn't last forever, leaving the old hardware connected to the network at risk.
The constant race between malicious actors and IT security professionals means that software left unattended is at a greater risk of security breaches. This is also true with Amazon devices. Just as recently as May 2023, Amazon faced a complaint from the Federal Trade Commission alleging that the company failed to prevent hackers from gaining access to people's Ring cameras. This complaint resulted in Amazon agreeing to pay $5.8 million in customer refunds.
If you own an Amazon Echo or other Amazon Alexa device and are wondering whether security updates have stopped for it, you're not alone. Luckily, Amazon has published a list of all the devices and expiration dates for the vast array of Amazon Alexa products.
Amazon Alexa security update expiration dates
The security update expiration dates for all Amazon Echo devices can be found on the Amazon website. Notably, security update support for the flagship Echo 4th Gen will expire relatively soon in 2025. Support for the highly popular Echo Dot 3rd Gen will also end in 2025, with support of the 4th Generation models coming to an end in 2026. The expiration for newer devices, like the Echo Show 5 and up, will come to an end a bit later, in 2027.
However, other devices, like the Echo Link, Studio, and Sub, will all end in 2025, meaning that many who own these products will still likely be able to use them, but without the official security support currently provided through patches and updates by Amazon. Older Echo devices are no longer listed on the website, as official security support has already ended for those devices.
Amazon shines a light on a major security issue
As more products become lynchpins in our everyday lives and we come to rely on more hardware each year, it's vital that network security is taken seriously. After all, more people than ever rely on the internet for finance, work, and — in the case of Amazon Ring — home security. According to the FDIC, nearly half of Americans use nonbank online payment services, so security breaches could create extra hassle at best or have even more severe implications at worst.
While a lack of security updates usually affects things like smartphones, in our ever-advancing technological reality, there are more devices that we rely on and more ways for hackers to access our home networks. Luckily, Amazon has a trade-in program where hardware owners can trade their devices for more secure and up-to-date electronics. While this costs consumers more, it's a step that every responsible Amazon Alexa user should consider taking when their product stops receiving security updates.