  RIS is one of the significant technological advancements that will mark
next-generation wireless. RIS technology also opens up the possibility of new
security threats, since the reflection of impinging signals can be used for
malicious purposes. This article introduces the basic concept for a
RIS-assisted attack that re-uses the legitimate signal towards a malicious
objective. Specific attacks are identified from this base scenario, and the
RIS-assisted signal cancellation attack is selected for evaluation as an attack
that inherently exploits RIS capabilities. The key takeaway from the evaluation
is that an effective attack requires accurate channel information, a RIS
deployed in a favorable location (from the point of view of the attacker), and
it disproportionately affects legitimate links that already suffer from reduced
path loss. These observations motivate specific security solutions and
recommendations for future work.
