Skip to main content

Smartwatch Hacked... Data Exchange with Smartphone Not So Secure

Smartwatch Hacked




We are living in an era of smart devices that we sync with our smartphones and make our lives very simple and easy, but these smart devices that inter-operates with our phones could leave our important and personal data wide open to hackers and cybercriminals.
Security researchers have demonstrated that the data sent between a Smartwatch and an Android smartphone is not too secure and could be a subject to brute force hacks by attackers to intercept and decode users' data, including everything from text messages to Google Hangout chats and Facebook conversations.
Well this happens because the bluetooth communication between most Smartwatches and Android devices rely on a six-digit PIN code in order to transfer information between them in a secure manner. Six-digit Pin means approx one million possible keys, which can be easily brute-forced by attackers into exposing entire conversations in plain text.
Researchers from the Romania-based security firm Bitdefender carried out a proof-of-concept hack against aSamsung Gear Live smartwatch and a paired Google Nexus 4 handset running Android L Preview. Only by using sniffing tools available at that moment, the researchers found that the PIN obfuscating the Bluetooth connection between both devices was easily brute forced by them.
Brute force attack is where a nearby hacker attempts every possible combination until finding the correct one. Once found the right match, they were able to monitor the information transferring between the smartwatch and the smartphone.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SUCH ATTACKS
To protect yourself to be a victim of such attacks, use Near Field Communication (NFC) to safely transmit a PIN code to compatible smartwatches during pairing, but that would likely increase the cost and complexity of the devices. In addition, "using passphrases is also tedious as it would involve manually typing a possibly randomly generated string onto the wearable smartwatch," the report said.

Another option is to use original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) by Google as an alternative to make data transfers between either device more secure. "Or we could supersede the entire Bluetooth encryption between Android device and smartwatch and use a secondary layer of encryption at the application level," the report offered. There are almost certainly other potential fixes available.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pebble - E-Paper Watch for iPhone and Android

CUSTOMIZE YOUR PERFECT WATCH. IT'S AS EASY AS DOWNLOADING AN APP. Pebble is the first watch built for the 21st century. It's infinitely customizable, with beautiful downloadable watchfaces and useful internet-connected apps. Pebble connects to iPhone and Android smartphones using Bluetooth, alerting you with a silent vibration to incoming calls, emails and messages. While designing Pebble, we strove to create a minimalist yet fashionable product that seamlessly blends into everyday life. WHAT Apps bring Pebble to life. We're building some amazing apps for Pebble. Cyclists can use Pebble as a bike computer, accessing the GPS on your smartphone to display speed, distance and pace data. Runners get a similar set of data displayed on their wrist. Use the music control app to play, pause or skip tracks on your phone with the touch of a button. If you're a golfer, feel free to bring Pebble onto the course. We're working with Freecaddie to create a great golf ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is Blockchain the new digital era ?

There is nothing more powerful than an idea, whose time has come. What is Blockchain ?  Blockchain is a set of growing records that are bound with one another using cryptographic algorithms. It allows records, called as blocks to be distributed among different system without being copied. Imagine that, you can see all the transactions that are being carried out in your bank. The main ledger, if is seen by thousands of people, would there be any malpractice anymore. The prime idea of blockchain was for Bitcoin, but now the tech community is now finding other potential uses for the technology. What is Bitcoin ? It is the first decentralized digital currency, as the system works without a central bank or single administrator. The system works as a peer-to-peer network, in which transactions take place between users directly, without an intermediary. These transactions are verified by blockchain. Bitcoin was invented by an unknown person or group of people us...
Post a Comment
Read more

PENETRATION TESTING

What is Penetration Testing? It’s the process to identify security vulnerabilities in an application by evaluating the system or network with various malicious techniques. Purpose of this test is to secure important data from outsiders like hackers who can have unauthorized access to system. Once vulnerability is identified it is used to exploit system in order to gain access to sensitive information. Causes of vulnerabilities: - Design and development errors - Poor system configuration - Human errors Why Penetration testing? - Financial data must be secured while transferring between different systems - Many clients are asking for pen testing as part of the software release  cycle - To secure user data - To find security vulnerabilities in an application It’s very important for any organization to identify security issues present in internal network and computers. Using this information organization can plan defense against any hacking attempt. User privacy and ...
1 comment
Read more