Your Smartwatch Could Be your Biggest Security Threat

Your Smartwatch Could Be Your Biggest Security Threat

  • By Sydny Shepard
  • Jan 15, 2016

Smartwatches are marketed as tools of convenience for improving everyday activities like shopping and fitness. The wristband technology allows the watch to record your daily movements, monitor your heart beat and can even recognize when you lift your arm to look at the time.

A student at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark has discovered another use for the wearable tech: stealing ATM pin codes and passwords from unsuspecting users.

In Troy Beltrameli’s thesis, titled “Deep-Spying: Spying Using Smartwatch and Deep Learning,” shows a hole in security that’s as clever as it is frightening. The student was able to create an app to capitalize on this gap.

Beltramelli built an app that records the movement data of the Sony Smartwatch 3 and then was able to sift through the data with an algorithm to find important inputs, gaining the ability to unlock a pin-protected phone or use an ATM’s keypad.

This ingenious hack does, however, have its limitations. Users can protect their ATM pin code by pressing it in with the hand that is not wearing the smartwatch. Also, the data needs to be collected by someone in close proximity to the smartwatch. For the student’s test, the data was transferred to a nearby Bluetooth device and then moved onto a server.

The last, and the most important, limitation is that the user has to willingly install the app that records this movement data. This is somewhat easy to overcome by burying such a function in an otherwise legitimate-looking  app.

Despite these limitations, this hack raises the question of how safe these smartwatches are. Recording movement data from the accelerometer and gyroscope is an invasion of privacy beyond the normal cybersecurity risks that people are used to.

The most troubling part about this is if a student could find this cyber security flaw, other less-wholesome types are probably making similar breakthroughs and aren’t publishing their findings in their thesis.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Cost: Reactive vs. Proactive Security

    Security breaches often happen despite the availability of tools to prevent them. To combat this problem, the industry is shifting from reactive correction to proactive protection. This article will examine why so many security leaders have realized they must “lead before the breach” – not after. Read Now

  • Achieving Clear Audio

    In today’s ever-changing world of security and risk management, effective communication via an intercom and door entry communication system is a critical communication tool to keep a facility’s staff, visitors and vendors safe. Read Now

  • Beyond Apps: Access Control for Today’s Residents

    The modern resident lives in an app-saturated world. From banking to grocery delivery, fitness tracking to ridesharing, nearly every service demands another download. But when it comes to accessing the place you live, most people do not want to clutter their phone with yet another app, especially if its only purpose is to open a door. Read Now

  • Survey: 48 Percent of Worshippers Feel Less Safe Attending In-Person Services

    Almost half (48%) of those who attend religious services say they feel less safe attending in-person due to rising acts of violence at places of worship. In fact, 39% report these safety concerns have led them to change how often they attend in-person services, according to new research from Verkada conducted online by The Harris Poll among 1,123 U.S. adults who attend a religious service or event at least once a month. Read Now

  • AI Used as Part of Sophisticated Espionage Campaign

    A cybersecurity inflection point has been reached in which AI models has become genuinely useful in cybersecurity operation. But to no surprise, they can used for both good works and ill will. Systemic evaluations show cyber capabilities double in six months, and they have been tracking real-world cyberattacks showing how malicious actors were using AI capabilities. These capabilities were predicted and are expected to evolve, but what stood out for researchers was how quickly they have done so, at scale. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.

  • HD2055 Modular Barricade

    Delta Scientific’s electric HD2055 modular shallow foundation barricade is tested to ASTM M50/P1 with negative penetration from the vehicle upon impact. With a shallow foundation of only 24 inches, the HD2055 can be installed without worrying about buried power lines and other below grade obstructions. The modular make-up of the barrier also allows you to cover wider roadways by adding additional modules to the system. The HD2055 boasts an Emergency Fast Operation of 1.5 seconds giving the guard ample time to deploy under a high threat situation.