Cybersecurity and wearables...
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In a recent conversion with a fitness enthusiast we began to discuss the data storage on his Fitbit app. Unfortunately, cybersecurity considerations for wearable technologies are less common in the research I have uncovered.
Honestly, only a few of us can get through a typical day without using a digital device, whether it's to communicate, research, work, bank, or even monitor our health. In many cases, the digital devices we rely on to get through the day aren't tethered to an electrical outlet and sitting on our desks.
These vital technologies are now more than ever worn on our bodies, from smart glasses and VR headsets, smart watches, wearable medical devices fertility trackers, and fitness trackers that allow us to experience new levels of technology. However, with all of these advanced technologies comes an equal level of risk. All of these have one or more features that:
- sense and translate data
- collect and prepare data for transmission
- ; and/or send data to off-site storage for processing and reporting.
We all do the typical checks like ensuring we only connect with a Wi-Fi that secure with strong passwords and firewalls. The main cyber-physical security concerns in wearables include the ability to monitor the user, thus endangering privacy; access to health data that can be hacked or misused; software and hardware flaws in a linked environment; and absence of encryption.
Discussing encryption blockchain comes to mind. Blockchain is a potential solution for integrating with IoT-based wearables to ensure data privacy.