The privacy and security of smart watches have similar risks to many other smart
devices and IoT devices. Although popular brands have some protective measures,
known vulnerabilities may still affect your smartwatch. Since smart watches are suitable
for all ages, it is natural to want to know the dangers to your (or your loved ones)
privacy and data. After all, the threat of smart watches does not come from all directions
(currently not!), but this does not mean that your smart watch data is absolutely safe.
The convenience of these products sometimes makes data more accessible to
hackers. However, despite these concerns, you still have ways to protect yourself.
Smart watch security risks
Smart watches are just one of many smart technology products that promote the
development of the Internet of Things (IoT). As this market continues to grow, these
devices will become more and more vulnerable to cyber attacks. Thanks to the Internet
of Things, devices can "talk" to each other, making many activities easier. However, this
data exchange comes at a price and will inevitably become the target of hackers...
Lack of audits on the safety of IoT consumers
Most of the concerns surrounding the privacy of smart watches are based on the
hazards of connected technology and the lack of security standards for the Internet of
Things. As more and more analog devices are connected to the Internet (and to each
other), even light switches in smart homes will have a need for network security.
Many types of smart technology products are in a security "grey zone". No one has
rated the user protection and safety quality of these IoT products, and watches are one
of them. In fact, if there is no central authority to affix a clear security level label to the
Internet of Things devices, most consumers do not know how safe the watch
is. Therefore, there is no guarantee that your watch can protect against current cyber
attacks.
Is your smartwatch data exposed?
Smart watch data can tell fraudsters a lot about you and your activities. All the
information collected, sent and received by these devices will be the perfect means
to hijack your identity and life. However, this does not mean that you should abandon
smart watches. Instead, you should learn more about how the watch manufacturer
handles your data.
data collection
Smart watches collect a lot of personalized information about you-delivered via
connections such as Bluetooth and the Internet. Your GPS location, activity tracking,
credit card transactions, and calendar may be relatively safe in isolation. But taken
together, these details can reveal your ATM PIN, password, daily life, etc. In theory, if
your manufacturer uses a centralized internal service to store and process your data,
then a single company’s violations may expose you to data theft.
data collection
The user data compiled on these devices will be sent from your service provider to third
parties. This is not necessarily malicious, because it can help the supplier to store,
process, and analyze data to provide a better experience.
The problem is: these data may also be used by some third parties to create your
advertising profile. Moreover, these data may eventually be mastered by many different
companies, resulting in more attack points that can undermine your privacy. However,
please keep in mind that not all smartwatch brands process your data in the same way,
so you need to read the manufacturer’s data collection policy.
Can smart watches be hacked?
There is no doubt: smartphone security does have weaknesses. In fact, some attack
attempts against these devices have been documented. However, although
smartwatches have not seen many major data breaches, white hat hackers (also known
as "good" hackers who help companies identify weaknesses in their
products/programs/software) have helped reveal some security vulnerabilities.
Phishing
If you download a fraudulent application and enter any personal information in it,
phishing may occur. These apps are more common in unofficial app stores, but they are
not completely absent in Google and Apple app stores. The way these fake apps work
is to require you to log in to your Google account and then obtain your credentials
through a fake form, allowing you to reveal your account reluctantly.
Bluetooth Low Energy
Bluetooth Low Energy will pair your smartwatch with mobile phones, headsets, and
other devices. However, due to the complexity of the Bluetooth protocol, there
are loopholes in its data encryption . With weak data encryption, criminals can force
access to your connection with very little effort (unfortunately, Bluetooth is an important
connection function for wireless-priority devices such as smart watches).
Accelerometer
Accelerometer data helps smart watches track exercise to achieve health and fitness
functions, such as the number of steps.
The accelerometer data can also be analyzed to reveal passwords and credit
card numbers. Repeated movement data trends can be used to infer computer
keyboard typing actions to reproduce your credentials. Admittedly, this requires a lot of
work, making this hacking method unlikely to be used; but it is possible. In fact, if the
return is large enough, cybercriminals may carefully select high-value targets for this
method.
Factory default password
The factory default password is used to access the back-end technical tools of the IoT
device. Since these passwords will not change after you take your device home,
hackers can easily find your passwords online or buy these default passwords on the
dark web.
To prevent such easy access to passwords, consumers must first know its existence.
Usually, manufacturers hide password change instructions in technical manuals that
users never read. Sometimes, you must contact the company directly to update the
password correctly. However, some users who bought cheaper smartwatches can't
even find a way to contact the original manufacturer.
Cheap online products are usually purchased in bulk by a large number of secondary
distributors and rebranded. Many children's watches are sold in this way, which leaves a
major safety hazard, so it is best to only buy smart watches from trusted and well-known
brands, such as Apple, Fitbit or Garmin.
Reconfiguration via SMS
Some children's smart watches were found to be able to carry out intrusions by simply
sending text messages. Using specially written text messages, some watches can be
reprogrammed to the benefit of hackers. This method can re-pair the watch with the
criminal’s cell phone, giving them more control and access to the device. They can then
track the watch via GPS and even call the user.
Although this situation was found in low-end children's models, many other cheap
smartwatches may also have similar vulnerabilities. This is because low-cost equipment
manufacturers usually do not pay more attention to safety than user-friendliness when
assembling entry-level products. Well-known high-end brands like Apple will take on
more responsibilities, but still often encounter this kind of convenience and safety
debate.
These security issues have driven manufacturers to upgrade, focusing more on
encryption and protection against malware in application stores . However, due to the
lack of industry standards, there is no guarantee that any product will be properly
protected.
How to protect smart watch data
Due to the lack of consumer protection, you still need to be cautious when using smart
watches. You can use existing smartwatch privacy features to start simply limiting
risk. The rest of the self-protection comes back to your sense of connection with the
watch.
Security settings on the device
Prevent unauthorized pairing through the activation lock setting version of
the watch . This feature can prevent stolen watches from being accessed. Both Apple
Watch and Samsung Gear use this feature, but your watch may be different.
Two-factor authentication - using subsequent acknowledgment on the other device to
prevent unwanted users. Some devices are known to not have this setting, so please
make sure your device has this setting before purchasing.
Lock screen password protection is another obstacle for thieves and hackers .
Smart watches may provide multiple types of protection, so make sure to activate as
many protections as possible.
This may include:
The PIN or pattern that needs to be unlocked before use.
Lock if it is too far away from the phone.
"Remove lock" detection.
Protect the paired smartphone
Protecting smartphones is as important as protecting the watch itself. These two
devices often work together, and this data exchange may leave you vulnerable to
hacker attacks.
Never use unofficial app stores , such as app stores on jailbroken devices or on the
Internet. The native app store prevents you from downloading malware apps. However,
please always trust your intuition for any app, and be sure to investigate before
installing it. Even Apple App Store and Google Play cannot catch every malicious
application.
Do not jailbreak your phone , as this will expose you to security risks. Breaking
through the walls of mobile phones means choosing to skip operating system
updates. Since you cannot keep the operating system updated while the phone is in a
jailbroken state, you will be missing the latest security patches. In addition, the
jailbroken app ecosystem may be full of dangerous apps that have never been checked
or deleted.
Keep the device up to date with all the latest operating system and application
versions . As mentioned above, the update comes with critical security fixes. Delaying
updates may result in attacks that are easy to avoid, so please update as soon as
possible. In addition, be sure to delete applications that have not been updated for
many years. Old program code used to make applications is a common target of
cybercrime.
Use a virtual private network connection (VPN) to encrypt your smartphone’s
Internet connection. Your data cannot be read by bystanders, and you can safely
connect to public Wi-Fi. Another benefit is that some service providers like Kaspersky
VPN Secure Connection also offer packages with anti-virus and malware protection.
Smart home control
Don't connect all IoT devices to the watch. Hackers may target smart watches and
use them like a key ring to access your home smart devices. Since someone may steal
your "keys" via the Internet, you may want to let some keys leave the key ring (as in the
past). For example, your smart home security equipment (door locks, security cameras,
etc.) may make you an easy target for home intrusion.
Set up guest Wi-Fi and try to keep the watch away from the main home
network. Isolate smart watches and all guest devices from safe home devices on the
main network. Mobile devices connected to public Wi-Fi or other non-home devices are
more likely to be attacked.
Remove unused or obsolete devices from the home network. Any unimproved
technology may lack important software updates, which will affect security. You may
consider updating your smart product, but older models are most likely not supported.
Update all devices used on the network. We can't overstate: security patches are
crucial. Make all devices (even smart TVs) load the latest firmware. If the device cannot
be updated, you may need to replace it with a newer model or remove it from the
network.
Change the default backend password on the connected device. It is possible to
obtain technical development access to the device through a set of factory default
credentials. There may be related instructions in the technical manual of the
device. Otherwise, please contact the manufacturer and ask how to make changes.
Network routers and modems are the most important devices that require a password
change. Ensure that the passwords are extremely strong and store them securely in a
password manager such as Kaspersky Password Manager .
Smart watch data security best practices
Buy trusted brands in the smartwatch market. Big-brand products are unlikely to cut
corners on safety. Brand reputation is accompanied by a sense of responsibility, which
is usually not available to cheap, unknown brands.
Pay attention to the danger signs of the compromised equipment. Strange device
activity may indicate malicious code on your smartwatch or other device. Collecting,
tracking, and sending your personal data requires a lot of data and consumes a lot of
power, so please stay vigilant.
Restrict app permissions. Features such as location services are used by hackers,
but you can block this access. Apps in the Android and Apple ecosystems usually
require your permission. Not every application needs these features, so please choose
according to your specific situation. The fewer permissions, the more secure. You can
turn on permissions when you need it at any time, but you cannot cancel sharing the
leaked data.
Generally, you want to avoid linking too many personal activities to smart watches until
safety standards for such devices are introduced. Although unlikely for many users, this
may be the best security and smart watch privacy solution.
If you have been invaded, you should already have a powerful Internet security
solutions such as Kaspersky comprehensive security software . Although it currently
cannot protect smart watches, it can ensure protection for your PC, tablet, and
smartphone.
related articles:
Car intrusion and how to protect yourself
What is spyware?
What is IP spoofing?
The top 6 online scams: how to avoid becoming a victim
Different smartwatch market positioning and the materials used, supporting
systems, and prices are different. How should consumers choose from many
smartwatches?
Recently, Consumer Mingjian conducted an evaluation of mainstream smart
watches on the market. Brands include: Apple, Samsung, LG, Pebble, Motorola,
etc.; evaluation items and weights are: performance (35%), ease of use (40%),
scratch resistance test (10%) and versatility (15%) ). Jiemian News selected 5
smartwatches with the best performance in the evaluation, hoping to fully
demonstrate their advantages and disadvantages.
No. 5: LG Watch Urbane (Price: 2799 yuan; Android system)
The waterproof performance is the best, and the shape is
too bulky.
From the appearance, you can hardly see that this is a smart watch. Urbane's
shape has the luxury of a traditional watch. This is a watch using Android system,
with 4GB of memory and a 1.3-inch display.
The touch screen on the dial is responsive. But because there is a 410 mAh
battery inside, it appears that the volume of the entire watch is very large,
64mm*56.5mm, with a thickness of 11mm. If it is worn by girls, it may look a little
bulky.
According to the official, it can keep working normally when placed at a depth of
about 1 meter underwater for 30 minutes. If you are curious about its water
resistance, you can also try it yourself.
In addition to its large size, this smart watch has two shortcomings: no GPS and
short battery life.
No. 4: LG Watch R (Price: 2199 yuan; Android system)
Can measure altitude, but cannot use GPS positioning.
This watch has a round dial with a 1.3-inch P-OLED
screen and is equipped with an Android operating
system.
It is equipped with a built-in microphone, you can use "Ask Google" to search for
content. You can also use voice recognition to send and receive text messages. It
is worth mentioning that there is a built-in heart rate monitor on the back of the
watch body. You can use it to monitor your heart rate and use it with the pre-
installed Google Health to check your health and so on. In addition to the heart
rate monitor, LG Watch R also has a built-in barometer that can be used to
measure altitude.
The most outstanding point of this watch is that it has a waterproof and dust-
proof design, and occasional rain has little effect. The main disadvantage is
similar to that of No. 5, which is relatively heavy and lacks GPS.
No. 3: Samsung Gear S (Price: 2599 yuan; Android system)
Various functions can be used independently of the
mobile phone, but its power cannot last long.
The Samsung watch is just like its mobile phone, the screen size is big
enough. You can even insert a Sim card into it, so you don't have to tie the
phone tightly next to the watch. This is also the biggest advantage of this
smartwatch-it can be used independently, directly with phone calls, text
messages, network and navigation functions.
But the performance is not good in terms of ease of operation, and the action of
inserting the SIM card is more troublesome. It is equipped with an independent
3G network, and can also push notifications on the phone to the watch via WiFi,
3G and 4G networks.
The disadvantage of this Samsung smart watch is that the battery life is relatively
short, and the general battery life is 12 hours. If you use the built-in GPS
positioning, the power consumption will be very fast.
No. 2: Apple Apple Watch Sport (Price: 2988 yuan; iOS system)
If it is not accompanied by the iPhone, it is just a time
display that can listen to music and watch pictures.
Watch Sport is the cheapest Apple smart watch you
can buy. But among similar products, its price is still
high.
Watch Sport is divided into two types: 38 mm and 42 mm. There is a heart rate
monitor on the back of the watch body.
Its most fatal disadvantage is that it must rely heavily on the iPhone. If the
iPhone is not nearby, most of the functions of this watch product are unavailable,
and the rest is almost only the ordinary function of displaying the time. Its
information, WiFi and GPS functions all need to be connected to the iPhone to
achieve.
It also does not have its own SIM card, and can only be matched with the
iPhone. However, it can still use some downloaded software, such as listening to
music and viewing pictures, when the iPhone is not nearby.
No. 1: Apple Apple Watch (Price: 4588 yuan; iOS system)
It has too many shortcomings, but no one will question
its current championship and status.
Compared with the Sport version, Apple Watch adds a sapphire screen, which is
more scratch-resistant. However, its stainless steel body is more prone to
scratches than the aluminum watch body of the Watch Sport.
Other problems are almost the same as Sport, which relies too much on iPhone
and does not have built-in GPS.
One of the most criticized problems of Apple Watch is its poor battery life. In
daily use, answering calls, receiving text messages, listening to music, etc., it
takes about 17 hours from fully charged to running out of power. 15 minutes of
charging time can provide it with about 2 hours of normal working power. If you
have been using the navigation, it is likely to cause the watch to lose power
quickly.
In any case, Apple Watch, as the pioneer of the smart watch trend, still firmly
occupies the top two thrones in consumer testing. It continues the style of Apple
products in the Jobs era, simple, beautiful, exquisite workmanship, high display
resolution, and surface content can be fully customized. Even if there are
problems such as weak battery capacity and over-reliance on Apple phones, the
success of Apple Watch cannot be concealed.
According to the research data released by the market research organization IDC
in September, Apple Watch has been on the market for less than half a year and
has risen to the top of the smart wearable device rankings, with a market share
of nearly 60% (58.3%), and wearable devices equipped with Google Android
Wear platform The market share was forced back to 17.4%, and the Pebble OS
operating system lags behind, with a market share of only 8.7%.
But judging from the current evaluation results, with the exception of Samsung,
most smart watches are still highly dependent on mobile phones. Regardless of
Android or Apple systems, once you leave your mobile phone, the watch can
only be reduced to a time display with an electronic screen. In a short period of
time, smart watches have not been able to replace traditional mobile phones.
1. What is fall detection
1. Fall detection
Fall detection is to detect whether a person has fallen through various
technical means; generally, after a fall is detected, a warning message is
issued in some ways, or intervention or protective actions are taken.
If the fall behavior is divided according to the timeline, it can be divided
into before the fall, during the fall, and after the fall. Fall detection
mainly occurs during a fall (may include part of it after a
fall). Correspondingly, there are related techniques before and after the
fall.
2. Fall prediction
Fall prediction is a technology used before a fall. Through behavior
recognition and algorithms, it can predict the occurrence of a fall in
advance. Fall prediction is more difficult than fall detection afterwards.
At present, there are not many studies on fall prediction, and most of
them are based on wearable devices to predict falls. The current fall
prediction is basically to identify when a fall occurs, and the advance is
very small, basically less than a second.
3. Fall protection
Fall protection is to activate the fall protection device in advance at the
moment of a fall to protect key parts of the body from injury. An
important prerequisite for fall protection is also fall prediction. Only
when the occurrence of a fall is predicted in time, the activation of the
protection device is of practical significance.
2. How is the fall detection of smart watches realized?
1. Fall detection technology
There are three main types of fall detection technologies, which are
based on dynamic characteristics (speed, acceleration, angle, angular
velocity, etc.), physiological characteristics (heart rate, physiological
electrical signals), and environmental characteristics (sound, vibration,
posture, etc.).
At present, the most practically used fall detection technologies mainly
include environmental feature detection based on video, image, sound,
and pressure-sensitive mat, and detection based on dynamic
characteristics such as acceleration and angle.
At present, the detection of power characteristics based on wearable
devices is the most widely used.
It is not a new technology to realize fall detection through wearable
technology. There are many wearable products at home and abroad,
which can realize fall detection and alarm. This type of device, like
current smart watches, uses built-in sensors to sound an alarm when it
detects a fall.
2. The principle of smart watch to achieve fall detection
Take Apple Watch as an example, which has a high-precision
accelerometer and gyroscope. The accelerometer can effectively capture
the weightlessness and impact of a fall; the gyroscope can detect
changes in the body's orientation, eliminate actions unrelated to falls,
and effectively eliminate non-fall behaviors that are "suspected of
falling". Of course, in addition to collecting data from sensors, it is also
necessary to perform modeling through algorithms such as deep
learning to improve the recognition rate and reduce the false alarm
rate.
Almost all the functions of Apple products have been carefully
polished. In order to make this feature really usable and easy to use,
Apple has done a lot of work. In the beginning, Apple used its own
employees and cooperation with stuntmen to simulate falls to obtain
data. Later, it was discovered that this kind of simulated fall was very
different from the real fall. Therefore, Apple decided to use real data for
analysis and modeling. Through cooperation with institutions such as
nursing homes, Apple has collected data on real movements and falls of
more than 2,500 people. Facilitating these real data, Apple was able to
create an algorithm for accurate identification. It can accurately identify
various fall states.
3. Which smart watches/bands support fall detection?
In addition to Apple's smart watches, what other consumer-grade
wearable devices (smart watches/bands) support fall detection?
Here are statistics on mainstream consumer wearable brands (statistics
as of March 30, 2020):
Apple : Starting with Apple Watch 4 (September 2018), it currently
includes Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5, SE, Series 6 .
Samsung : Galaxy Watch Active 2 (the watch was released on August
5, 2019. After a year, it finally supports fall detection in an updated way
on September 11, 2020), Galaxy Watch 3 (released in August 2020) .
Jia Ming (main sports watch): None.
Song Tuo (main sports watch): None.
Xiaomi: None.
Huami : Midong Health Watch , this function will be launched in
November 2019. No other smart watches/bands have this function.
Huawei/Honor: None.
Little genius (mainly children's watch): None.
OPPO: None. (The first smartwatch OPPO Watch will only be released in
March 2020)
VIVO : VIVO Watch (released on September 22, 2020).
TicWatch: None.
Happy: None.
Aiwei: None.
360:360 smart health watch OL201, 360 health watch Pro H401 . It
was launched in September and November 2019.
Love care (mainly watches for the elderly): S7Pro, S5, S3 bracelets .
It can be seen that, whether it is domestic or international brands,
products equipped with iterative detection are rare. Two years after
Apple's "first" fall detection function, fall detection has not become the
standard for mainstream wearable devices.
4. Why didn't the gust of wind brought by Apple blew up?
1. This time, Apple did not lead the trend
Apple is not the first to eat crabs in many fields or functions, but after
Apple enters, it will truly make these products or functions usable and
easy to use, set a benchmark, and then truly lead the industry (a large
number of companies follow up) and promote the development of the
industry .
Apple Watch has not been equipped with the fall detection function
since the first generation. It was not until the fourth-generation Apple
Watch released in September 2018 that it began to carry this
function. However, looking back today, two years later, I found that
there are still very few mainstream wearable manufacturers at home and
abroad following up.
Review the health functions of Apple Watch series (according to the
chronological order of function release):
heart rate/step counting/calories, etc.-Watch 1
fall detection-Watch 4
ECG detection-Watch 5
sleep monitoring-Watch 6
Blood oxygen detection-Watch 6
These health functions mentioned above are basically not the
first releases of Apple Watch.
Heart rate/step counter/calorie, these are the standard equipment of
the first generation of smart bracelets;
many manufacturers of ECG detection (such as Huami) have done it on
smart watches/bands before Apple, but they have not reached it.
Medical level (certified by medical devices such as FDA or CFDA);
sleep monitoring is a constant demand for Apple, and it was basically
the standard configuration of wearable bracelets/watches before;
blood oxygen testing has been early Small factories are doing it, but in
the past one or two years, some large factories have only begun to carry
this function on their products (such as Huawei), but they have not
reached the medical level, and there is no significant significance for the
time being; it
is the fall detection. Function, Apple brought it to the consumer-grade
wearable market more than two years ago, and there are still not many
manufacturers following it.
What is the reason?
2. Fall detection is not important?
Falling is one of the most dangerous accidents that threaten the health
of the elderly.
Falls are the leading cause of death from injuries among the elderly in
my country (those above 65 years of age), and the fourth leading cause
of death from accidental injuries in all age groups.
More than one-third of the elderly in the United States over the age of
65 have fallen, 50% of which are recurrent falls, and about 10%-20% will
cause serious injuries such as fractures, head trauma, etc., and even
death. Some falls do not cause injury, but 47% of elderly people in non-
injury falls cannot stand up without help from outsiders. Falling will not
only cause physical harm, but also psychologically (fear of falling).
It can be said that falls are one of the major hidden dangers to the
health of the elderly.
Therefore, for the elderly, fall detection is a very important function.
3. The technology is too difficult?
Why do domestic manufacturers who like "pay tribute" to Apple, but
choose to "play stupid" at this time, is it technically impossible?
Obviously not. After all, the products of some small companies have
already advertised this feature.
And in principle, doing this function is not very complicated, but if you
want to do it well, it still takes a lot of effort.
Because in addition to sensors and algorithms, if you have to be very
accurate, be able to recognize different types of falls, and avoid false
alarms, the best way is actually to collect real data yourself (build a real
environment), like Apple, Only by doing model training can we realize a
usable and easy-to-use fall detection function.
It is not difficult to detect this function, but it is not easy to do it well.
Therefore, the crux of the problem is that the input-output ratio of this
function is too low, and the price/performance ratio is too low .
The embarrassing situation: There are not many major domestic
wearable manufacturers that pay much attention to the vertical market
of "elderly people".
4. Apple-style humanistic care
Spending great efforts on niche functions, Apple has actually done a lot
of this kind of things.
For example, the VoiceOver function that takes care of the blind has
existed in the iPhone silently for many years, becoming the "eyes" of the
visually impaired; for
example, the Apple Watch 3 customized "rotating the wheelchair"
statistical function for wheelchair users;
and for example, fall detection.
Apple spent a lot of effort on a mass consumer product to make a very
small function. Although the function is niche, it is indeed very
important to some people, and some functions can save lives at critical
moments.
It is hoped that while making money, domestic manufacturers can also
do more "niche" functions, so that those who are neglected but really in
need can also enjoy the convenience brought by technology.
