Hackers can extract data from your personal electronic gear, and it doesn’t take that much expertise to lose nonencrypted data, according to digital forensics researchers at the University of New Haven (UNH).
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WTVOX reports that just as clothing and accessories, such as computer watches and tracking wristbands, become “smarter” and more interactive, the greater the danger that stored personal information can be hacked.
UNH researchers say they obtained the data both by poking through the watches’ files, as well as finding traces of watch activity on the Samsung Android smartphone to which they were linked, according to the WTVOX article. And just because data is encrypted, they can still be defeated, Ibrahim Baggili, director of UNH’s Cyber Forensics Research and Education Group, told WTVOX, although some research into the exact device may be necessary for hackers.
On the other hand, some accessories and clothing can prevent hacking, says an article on Rawstory.com, which reveals that “privacy developers” are working on ways to make what people wear hacking-safe. Designers are using metal-infused cloth to make garments such as antihacking “jammer” jackets and handkerchiefs (that can be wrapped around devices as needed) that block radio waves.
Even more outrageous is underwear that can alert the wearer to tracking and phishing attempts and an umbrella that blocks tracking algorithms.
According to Raw Story, smartphones still have the greatest hacking and tracking potential, but people should weigh the threat to their privacy and the security of their data before buying the latest tech wear.
I just got a new car, and the salesman downloaded the contacts from my phone into the entertainment system. You have to wonder what kind of safeguards the technology in vehicles have.