Smartwatches and physical activity monitoring devices are part of the so-called “wearable” technology, portable smart elements that connect to a mobile phone to access its functions without directly manipulating it.

These devices are part of the Internet of Things, an innovation that is increasingly present in people’s lives as it has facilitated many activities inside and outside the home.

Although advances in security systems have been made in recent years, elements of the Internet of Things are still highly vulnerable to cyber threats: through them, criminals can access the personal information that people store on cell phones, computers, and the cloud.

ESET, the company that creates cybersecurity products such as antivirus, points out the reasons why cybercriminals are interested in interfering with smart watches.

1. To steal information: Smartwatches were created to sync with your smartphone and thus not only to monitor the user’s physical health, but also to access cell phone features such as receiving and answering calls and messages. It is this synchronization that creates vulnerabilities between devices, leaving cybercriminals open to access cell phone data by hacking into clocks.

2. To access the user’s location: orAnother reason why criminals try to break into “wearables” is to know the location of people through geolocation systems, which is very dangerous because this way they track the movement of their potential victim to physically attack or enter your property and steal it when you are not there. are.

3. Selling people profiles for invasive advertising: It turns out that the information collected on these devices, and which some apps have access to, may be sold to third-party companies to send users invasive advertisements.

According to ESET, the report says revenue from data sold by healthcare device manufacturers to insurance companies could reach $ 855 million by 2023.

4. Break into smart home appliances: Through smartwatches, cybercriminals could access “smart home” devices such as security cameras, thermostats or door locks. For example, if someone has lost your watch or it has been stolen and you do not have anti-theft settings enabled, they may unlock your house locks and break into your home.

Now that we know the reasons why cybercriminals often break into smart watches and fitness tracking devices, it is worth mentioning a few things that pose a threat to human devices.

-Lutuzi: This mechanism is used to pair mobile devices with different devices, however vulnerabilities have been identified in synchronization protocols that can be hacked by cyber attackers.

– Devices: The reality is that the Internet elements of items do not have the same security systems as a computer or cell phone, which poses gaps in the security seals in their programming.

– Applications: Mobile apps designed to bridge the gap between phones and devices can leak user-sensitive information. In addition, there are “pirated” applications designed to infect devices when they are accidentally downloaded in confusion with the original version.

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