Digital wearables are vulnerable to cyber attacks
Source: Middle East Insurance Review | Aug 2022
Digital wearables, smartwatches and fitness trackers pose unique threats to the security and privacy of customer data, according to a new document released by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
IEEE senior member Aiyappan Pillai told thehindu.com, “By connecting a wearable to an extended ecosystem, one is exposing a larger attack surface.
Cyber security experts look at this as a supply chain that includes a data generator, an analytics engine and a service provider. Each link in the chain, including the connecting networks, presents a potential risk.”
IEEE document said that most criminal intrusions of computer networks have a financial motive. That may lead people to conclude that wearables have a low cybersecurity risk. But wearables data, especially in healthcare settings, is often tied to financial information.
IEEE senior member Kevin Curran said, “Depending on the organisation from which it was obtained, stolen health data can be extremely valuable because it often includes so much personally identifiable information – including birthdays, email addresses and other login information, which can be used for identity theft purposes.”
Hospitals are required to maintain extensive databases of personally identifiable information for billing purposes. Hence the rise of wearables, implants and other connected devices adds a new dimension to cyber security risk. Mr Curran said having such a large and diverse array of devices connected to the network will mean that there will be countless connected endpoints in each hospital. M