Your smartwatch may be revealing more than you realize!

Your smartwatch, like most internet-connected devices, can leave you in danger. All because most modern smartwatches have location and behavior detection capabilities that raise security and privacy concerns. However, is this why we should stop using these devices? Not necessarily. We need to know what can put us in danger and avoid these behaviors. In fact, your smartwatch may be revealing more than you think.

Your smartwatch may be revealing more than you realize!

Smartwatches are very useful devices. However, they also connect to the Internet, which means they are far from immune to the privacy and security risks that plague much modern technology. The main reason why many smartwatches have less security than one would expect is that small devices have less room for manufacturers to build in processing power, battery power, and security.

But after all, what puts us at risk?

Our smartwatch constantly collects various elements related to our body (fat, water, muscle mass and blood oxygen) and the activities we carry out (temperature, heart rate and sleep). This data is then synchronized with all our devices and the company’s servers.

Data collection

For now, there are two ways in which our data ends up in the wrong hands. One is if an intruder takes over our smartphone and all the data contained there. The other way our data can be compromised is in the event of a data breach or cyberattack. We cannot do anything to address these risks. However, it is a good idea to opt for a larger company that has more means to defend itself against attacks. A more unknown brand with less capacity may pose a greater risk to our security.

In addition to these attacks and data breaches, there is also the fact that third-party applications also have access to sensitive user data that the smartwatch collects. Your best defense against this intrusion is to uninstall unnecessary applications.

Data transfer between watch and smartphone

The security WiFi It is bluetooth has improved in recent years. However, these technologies remain vulnerable to data breaches. That said, there are three ways that Bluetooth is open to attack: bluejacking, bluebugging, and bluesnarfing. These last two methods make it possible for criminals to steal data from the device. Even without us realizing it.

However, smartwatches have three connection methods: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or LTE. Most models come equipped with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, while more expensive models have LTE. Bluetooth/Wi-Fi models sync with an app to transfer data from the watch to the smartphone (and company servers). LTE models, however, can connect directly to the internet and synchronize data in real time. However, LTE models typically consume more power, and most people prefer to use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

It doesn’t matter which model you choose. There’s always a risk that someone with the right tools and motivation could attack your device and steal data.

We are always being followed

Your watch can use GPS data to create a map of outdoor workouts or your route. This means that we are always being followed. It’s just that we usually always carry a watch on our wrist.

Turning off tracking obviously depends on the device you have. You can disable location services on Apple Watch, for example, by going to Settings > General Location Services > and turning it off. The same method applies to smartwatches that use WearOS.

What can we do to be safer?

• Stay away from public Wi-Fi. This could leave you at risk.
• Keep your smartwatch’s operating system up to date. Everything so that security flaws cannot be exploited.
• Regularly update your smartphone.
• Delete smartwatch data regularly.

If you are careful and although the smartwatch can put us in danger, the risk will be much lower.