Are wearable computing devices the new big security threat?
That’s one question lingering after Lookout Security last month detailed an insidious hack attack against Google Glass: Just by getting Glass to “see” a malicious QR code, an attacker could force a connection to a malicious Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection, then eavesdrop on all communications. Admittedly, the attack wouldn’t have triggered a countdown to global doom, but it did highlight the automated, promiscuous network-connecting habits of mobile devices, Glass included.
Therein lies a problem with wearable computing devices: They lack either physical or virtual keyboards, and thus require a relatively greater degree of automation than your average Android device or iPhone. With that automation, however, comes the risk that the device may automatically do something bad, from either an information security or privacy perspective.
In some respects, this is a good problem for the wearable computing field to have. For years, it was hobbled by awkward input mechanisms — corded keyboards, joysticks, trackballs. But in this age of small, high-speed processors, voice recognition and relatively ubiquitous Internet connectivity, the release of Google Glass inaugurated people literally being able to tell their glasses what to do.