“Much like how cyber criminals are increasingly targeting mobile devices over PCs, it’s a virtual certainty that as wearable devices go more mainstream they’ll be targeted by hackers,” Cadie Thompson reports for CNBC. “Which leads us to the Apple Watch… For now, Apple’s watch appears to be the most secure of the emerging smartwatch landscape, said Geoff Vaughan, a security consultant at Security Compass.”
“It’s essentially like adding a second monitor to your iPhone, since it requires one to perform most functions, Vaughan said. Thus, it’s limited functionality without the iPhone actually makes it more difficult to steal valuable information, he said,” Thompson reports. “‘All of the data at rest will be on the mobile device, which is in contrast with other watches where almost everything is on the watch. Those certainly have a larger threat landscape,’ he said.”
“It’s worth noting that the Apple Watch can still be used for Apple Pay without the iPhone, but there are security measures in place to help ensure the owner of the Watch is the only one using it,” Thompson reports. “For example, the Apple Watch comes with an opt-in PIN similar to those used on an iPhone which requires users to enter it in each time they use Apple Pay with their watch. It also requires a PIN to be entered anytime the watch is removed and put back on.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take:
Security and privacy are fundamental to the design of all our hardware, software, and services, including iCloud and new services like Apple Pay… A few years ago, users of Internet services began to realize that when an online service is free, you’re not the customer. You’re the product. But at Apple, we believe a great customer experience shouldn’t come at the expense of your privacy. Our business model is very straightforward: We sell great products. We don’t build a profile based on your email content or web browsing habits to sell to advertisers. We don’t “monetize” the information you store on your iPhone or in iCloud. And we don’t read your email or your messages to get information to market to you. Our software and services are designed to make our devices better. Plain and simple. — Apple CEO Tim Cook