Top devices vulnerable to cyberattack
A new study into the security of smartwatches found that 100 percent of popular device models contain severe vulnerabilities.
A research study conducted by Hewlett-Packard has found serious security issues in today's top smartwatch wearable devices.
Smartwatches are part of the wearable device trend, which extends from medical devices and fitness trackers to acting as an extension of your smartphone.
The Apple Watch and Android Wear are examples of popular wearable devices on the market which can pair with smartphones and allow you to view online notifications, send messages and control apps through either the small display or through voice control.
Wearables can be useful and have grown in popularity with the arrival of the Internet of Things (IoT) concept in the marketplace. However, as smartwatches become mainstream, cybercriminals have been gifted with a new avenue to exploit in the quest to steal valuable data.
Revealed on Wednesday, HP's Smartwatch Security Study suggests that while wearable technology is on the rise, security has been left behind. The tech giant's research team combined manual testing along with the use of digital tools and HP Fortify on Demand -- on both iOS and Android-based smartwatches -- to evaluate a total of 10 of today's "top" devices on the market.
In HP's words, the results were "disappointing, but not surprising." The tech giant found that every one of the ten devices analyzed contained significant vulnerabilities, including insufficient authentication, lack of encryption and privacy concerns.
HP found insufficient user authentication and authorization to be common issues within smartwatches. Every smartwatch tested was paired with a user interface which lacked two-factor authentication or the ability to lock out accounts after a select number of failed password input attempts. In total, 30 percent of the devices analyzed were vulnerable to account harvesting in one form or another.
Charlie Osborne
ZDNet
A new study into the security of smartwatches found that 100 percent of popular device models contain severe vulnerabilities.
A research study conducted by Hewlett-Packard has found serious security issues in today's top smartwatch wearable devices.
Smartwatches are part of the wearable device trend, which extends from medical devices and fitness trackers to acting as an extension of your smartphone.
The Apple Watch and Android Wear are examples of popular wearable devices on the market which can pair with smartphones and allow you to view online notifications, send messages and control apps through either the small display or through voice control.
Revealed on Wednesday, HP's Smartwatch Security Study suggests that while wearable technology is on the rise, security has been left behind. The tech giant's research team combined manual testing along with the use of digital tools and HP Fortify on Demand -- on both iOS and Android-based smartwatches -- to evaluate a total of 10 of today's "top" devices on the market.
In HP's words, the results were "disappointing, but not surprising." The tech giant found that every one of the ten devices analyzed contained significant vulnerabilities, including insufficient authentication, lack of encryption and privacy concerns.
HP found insufficient user authentication and authorization to be common issues within smartwatches. Every smartwatch tested was paired with a user interface which lacked two-factor authentication or the ability to lock out accounts after a select number of failed password input attempts. In total, 30 percent of the devices analyzed were vulnerable to account harvesting in one form or another.
Charlie Osborne
ZDNet
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