How wearables in the workplace create new security risks

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Imagine you are the chief security officer for a large enterprise organisation and you suddenly find a small TV crew working its way through your offices, panning a video camera back and forth, recording who knows what: product schedules on white boards, financial reports lying about on desks, an org chart pinned to a wall, customer data displayed on screens—all sorts of confidential information. There would be an audio track, as well, recording hallway conversations...

By Paula Skokowski, 08 October 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Privacy, Regulation, Security, Workplace.

Law firm examines risks and rewards with deploying wearable tech

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With the very real prospect of smartwatches and smart eyewear entering the workplace in the coming years, the potential productivity gains need to be taken with a pinch of salt in terms of protecting corporate data.

That much is self-evident; but Kate Bischoff, attorney at Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason LLP, argues that wearables “require mindful adoption” from employers and that the risks, in a legal context are “real.”

By James Bourne, 28 September 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Devices, Enterprise, Privacy, Security, Workplace.

Legal: The laws and regulations of wearable devices

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After being touted as “the next big thing” for some time, wearable technology has captured the attention of the consumer. The big question is – what should developers and marketers consider from a legal and regulatory perspective if they’re developing or using wearables?

While the ability to summon a taxi or order a pizza at the flick of the wrist may be a...

By Daniel Tozer, 10 September 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Data & Analytics, Developers, Health Monitoring, Privacy, Security, Smartwatches.

HP warns how all smartwatches are vulnerable to attacks in latest research

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Research from HP Fortify on Internet of Things (IoT) security has revealed 100% of smartwatches tested contain “significant” vulnerabilities, including authentication, encryption and privacy concerns.

In particular, every smartwatch tested lacked two factor authentication with its mobile interfaces, alongside the ability to lock accounts after up to five failed password attempts. 30% were vulnerable to account harvesting, while 40% of cloud connections tested were...

By James Bourne, 23 July 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Security, Smartwatches.

Key steps businesses can take to alleviate concerns over wearables and privacy

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At present there is a huge amount of apprehension surrounding wearable technology in the UK as many people are hesitant to invest in them because of privacy fears.

To try to shed some light on this scepticism, several studies have been conducted into privacy and wearable technology. A major study by cloud computing company Rackspace found that 51 per cent of...

By Nick Black, 11 June 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Privacy, Security, Workplace.

Wearable technology and securing the data: Parallels with the smartphone revolution

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Enterprise employees are looking more and more at using wearable technology in the workplace. A recent piece of research showed that males aged 18-34 and those with children at home are most interested. They either own a wearable or want to buy one – and they want to use it at work.

Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as that. More research papers than you can shake a stick at warn of the dangers of connecting business-critical data to smartwatches. It’s not just the...

By James Bourne, 04 June 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Enterprise, Privacy, Security, Smartwatches.

Wearable security under spotlight as researchers fire Bluetooth IoT privacy warning

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To ensure the connectivity of wearable devices, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) appears to be the way to go – with limited computing power, the clue is in the name. Yet a recent post from Context Information Security has fired a warning shot over privacy issues in the BLE protocol.

Titled ‘The emergence of Bluetooth Low Energy’, the post addresses how scanning for devices running off BLE...

By James Bourne, 27 May 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, IoT, Privacy, Security.

Why hackable wearables are a growing concern

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With the release of the Apple Watch, wearable smart devices are rapidly becoming this year's hot technology accessory, but security experts warn that the data they collect is a gold mine for hackers. More than 420,000 wearable devices were sold in 2014 and the Consumer Electronics Association is predicting a 61% increase in wearables sold this year.

Since wearable...

By Paula Skokowski, 15 April 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Privacy, Security.

The man who hacked his own wristband: A warning to wearable tech owners

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Kaspersky lab security researcher Roman Unuchek has written on how the authentication method in popular smart wristbands allows a third party to connect to the device, execute commands and even extract data.

The worrying findings came after a multiple month investigation, after Unuchek had initially attempted to connect his personal wristband – which remains nameless – and found he could easily connect to his colleague’s Nike+ FuelBand SE.

Using some code already...

By James Bourne, 30 March 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Health & Wellness, Regulation, Research, Security, Smartwatches.

Security: Wearables will be the target of hackers

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During yesterday's "Spring Forward" event from Apple, we saw for ourselves how our smartwatches will be remote controls for the smart home to open doors around the home. The question is, are you concerned this could be exploited by a hacker?

Apple's debut watch, as most current smartwatches, uses both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology. The capabilities of the watch and the information it holds...

By Ryan Daws, 10 March 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Bluetooth, Privacy, Security, Smartwatches.