Potential Security Risk of Wearable Tech

Potential Security Risks of Wearable Tech

  • By Sydny Shepard
  • Dec 11, 2015

This holiday season, trendy wearable devices are flying off the shelves.

While fitness trackers, smartwatches, and even smart clothing make for future presents, experts say consumers should keep the devices' potential security weaknesses in mind while shopping. Most wearable devices connect to the internet or are Bluetooth enabled, meaning they could be vulnerable without safeguards like data encryption and authentication.

With fitness trackers monitoring people's activities 24/7, some companies are collecting massive amounts of data. This provides a ripe opportunity for hackers to target health-related data like the information collected by wearable devices.

Since credit card companies have improved methods of cutting off funds once an account is compromised, hackers are shifting their focus and instead finding it is easier to gather and monetize health care records.

Another potential threat to privacy comes not from hackers, but from the device manufacturers themselves. Because many people don't pay attention to end-user license agreements - the legal fine print people are supposed to read and agree to before using a device - consumers could inadvertently give manufacturers permission to share their information with third parties.

For those of you who want to buy a wearable device, avoid trying to find the cheapest one and instead opt for a brand that is well known and reputable. In general, larger companies are better at paying attention to protecting customers. Low-budget wearables where companies stamp their brand on generic devices tend to have no security.

So this holiday season, make sure you are only buying products that can guarantee that they will actually protect your data so you can keep your family and yourself safe.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

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