Is my smartwatch spying on me?

It all started with the Pegasus report, when we were introduced to the infamous spyware- Pegasus, developed by an Israeli company. The spyware was so powerful that it could be covertly installed in any mobile phone and use it as a real time surveillance device. Although the spyware was sold only to the governments, it started a global discussion about whose data is safe and to what extent could an individual be spied on. According to the experts, there is no limit to how deep a hacker can go to spy on someone; through the microphone of the mobile, through the camera of the smart television, and as per the latest addition, through the sensors in smartwatches.

It created a storm of fear among people already dealing with online scams and breach of personal data, as devices like a smartwatch have become a necessity for many in order to track calories, ECG, Blood Pressure, and more. Kaspersky’s Lab conducted research on how easy it is to spy on someone using their smartwatch, only to find out some shocking results. According to Kaspersky, the versatility of features on a smartwatch is so vast that almost every function, from its camera to the accelerometer, could be easily infected.

What came as a shock to the researchers was how an accelerometer in smartwatches could be used to find out whether you are walking, running, taking a stroll, climbing stairs, or sitting idle. If dug down deeper, the accelerometer in your smartwatch could also understand what you are typing by understanding your typing pattern. Although all of us have different typing methods; two hand typing, one hand typing, one finger typing, and more, the accelerometer could make out what an individual is typing on a computer, ATM machine, or a phone.

A hacker could get your password by training a neural network to understand your typing pattern on different devices. For instance, if you type-in a particular phrase several times on your computer or smartphone, the accuracy of the network guessing the pattern gets higher every time it is typed. The signals produced by your accelerometer data will create a series of similar graphs that can easily be decoded, ultimately revealing your password to the hacker.

Now the question is raised, is there any way one can do to prevent it or at least figure out a way to find out if they are being watched. The answer is yes. The only scope of trouble for the hacker is: the constant upload of accelerometer signal data requires a great amount of internet traffic, which can drain out a smartwatch’s battery in a matter of around six hours. If the smartwatch wearer happens to notice an unusual drop in the battery life, it should not take long for him to find out something is fishy. However, a smart hacker could avoid this situation by scooping up the data at very selective timings; for instance while you are at work or while you are entering your password.

Before we close, you must be wondering about how accurate our smartwatches can be while guessing what we are typing on a laptop. Kaspersky Labs in its research also mentioned the accuracy with which your smartwatch can guess your passwords. For mobile phones, the accuracy might be as low as 64%, in case of entering a PIN code in the ATM machine, the accuracy surges up to approximately 87%, at last in computers, the shocking figure goes up to 96%. It leaves us with the same question, is there any way to prevent it?

By simply staying away from any third party app other than the official mobile app recommended by your smartwatch company can help you stay safe to some extent. Experts also suggest switching on to a smartwatch that uses a decentralized network to secure its users’ data. With the implementation of Blockchain technology in the smartwatch, the data of users is spread across nodes, making it extremely difficult to hack. Ultimately proving that Blockchain technology is the need of the hour and it won't be too ambitious to say that the inclusion of Blockchain technology in wearables is opening several new doors.

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