Smart watches, the perfect spy for cybercriminals

They gather a lot of data from their perfect users

           Geolocation, behavior pattern, daily routines. These are some of the data that smart watches collect every day and that are a jewel prized by cybercriminals.

Smartwatches and fitness wristbands are traditionally used to monitor sports activities and the health of their users, and for this they incorporate acceleration sensors (heart rate monitors) and rotation sensors (gyroscopes) to identify the location and the steps that the user advances.

            Kaspersky Lab analysts have analyzed what user information could provide these sensors to unauthorized third parties, and further study several smart watches from different providers.

The researchers made use of mathematical algorithms to analyze the data of the intelligent device and were able to identify patterns of behavior, in addition to routines in relation to the user's location and schedules.

          The algorithm managed to register activities such as entering a password in the computer (96% accuracy), pressing a pin code in a cashier (87% accuracy) and unlocking a smartphone (accuracy of 64%).

A third party could make use of the data of these intelligent devices for malicious purposes, even identifying the identity of its owner looking for the registered email.

           Experts advise to pay attention to some behaviors that can occur in smart devices and that could mean the presence of an intruder, such as the request for permission to send geolocation data, or requests related to the recovery of user account information.

The rapid consumption of the battery can also be a cause for concern, since it could be a consequence of the device writing or sending signal records to another location.