Are Smart Watches Safe?

After a slightly slow start the long discussed Smartwatch revolution is in full flow. However, it would seem that this new category means a new target group for hackers! This week research on these devices has highlighted some significant vulnerabilities in the 2015 must have device.

A study by Hewlett-Packard’s HP Fortify found “that 100 percent of the tested smartwatches contain significant vulnerabilities, including insufficient authentication, lack of encryption and privacy concerns,” the company said in releasing the findings Wednesday.

It is clearly a worry that these devices are just as vulnerable as older technologies. The future will also mean we (personally and professionally) have multiple “weak spots” as over the next few years the “Internet of Things” will be in full swing where we will see our cars, refrigerators, Kettles and even lightbulbs are connected to the internet – each holding and transmitting confidential information regarding our most personal transactions. In the example of Smart watches this includes important health and location data.

The HP study looked at 10 smart watches, along with their Android and Apple iOS cloud and mobile application components. The biggest problems included weak authentication, making it easy for an attacker to gain access, and a lack of encryption.