The Risks Lurking in Your Wearable: A Look at Device Safety.

Are Wearables Secure Enough? A Paradox of Risk and Benefit

The Rise of Wearable Devices

Wearable technology is one of the fastest-growing markets worldwide, with predictions estimating that it will reach $265.4 billion by 2026. It is a market driven by lead players such as Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, LG, Apple, Fitbit, and Microsoft. The benefits of wearable devices are undeniable, as they can save lives, collect personal data to provide valuable insights for users and third-party service providers, and be incredibly convenient. However, this convenience and accessibility come at a price, as cybercriminals are waiting to exploit vulnerabilities and compromise user data.

Wearable Devices: A New Paradigm of Security Risks

Wearable devices collect and store a wide range of personal data, including health metrics, location, payment information, biometric identifiers, and more. This personal data can be useful for users and service providers, but it can also be sensitive and valuable for cybercriminals to exploit in many ways, such as identity theft, blackmail, or discrimination. Attacks on wearable devices are on the rise, with increasing numbers of physical theft, wireless interceptions, cloud breaches, and cyberattacks. Wearables also connect to smartphones and pose the risk of smartphone viruses or Trojans.

The Paradox of Wearables Data Security

Wearable devices present a paradox of risk and benefit regarding data security. On one hand, they offer high-risk potential for personal data collection and storage. On the other hand, the same high-risk data they collect can be used to develop and integrate security technologies, especially biometric verification. Wearables can leverage the idiosyncrasies of their wearers’ unique physical or behavioral characteristics to perform biometric authentication, such as fingerprint and heartbeat verification, as it is reliable, fast, and computationally cheap.

Deploying Biometrics as the Most Advanced Security Technology to Protect Lives and Data

Biometric technology is one of the most advanced resources available to protect data and lives. Wearables can leverage biometric verification as part of multifactor authentication, combining it with traditional passwords or PINs, thus enhancing security. Wearable developers should code biometric verification to be used in combination with other methods of authentication, encrypt biometric data, store it locally on devices, and not transmit or share it with third parties without permission. Furthermore, users should have the option to revoke or change their biometric identifiers.

Privacy and Security: Why User Education and Control Matter

To protect personal data from misuse, developers and users must be aware of the types of data wearables collect and store and how they are shared with third-party services or cloud platforms. Users should have access to encryption and multifactor authentication, with the ability to customize data permissions, including GPS tracking, health metrics, payment information, or biometric identifiers. Privacy policies and terms of service must be accessible, transparent, and allow for opting out of any unnecessary data collection or sharing. Users should also be aware of the risks of using public or unsecured Wi-Fi networks to sync their data.

Final Thoughts: Wearable Technology and the Future of the Internet of Things (IoT)

Wearable devices are part of the new Internet of Things (IoT) era, with connected devices predicted to almost triple in the next decade. Developers and users must include security principles and technologies as core foundations for wearable devices. Users must educate themselves and be granted the tools to customize their security settings, deploying biometric technology as the most advanced resource available to protect data and lives. Wearable technology’s benefits should not be overshadowed by its risks if properly secured and managed.