Robert Siciliano from Intel Security explains how fitness trackers, smartwatches, drones, and connected toys can be hacked to infect your computer or steal personal data. He recommends researching devices before buying, installing firmware updates, using antivirus scans, and connecting only to protected Wi-Fi.
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Well, you may be done with your holiday shopping just in time, but are those gifts you're giving and receiving safe and secure? In today's Your Money Matters, we're getting details on the most hackable holiday gifts sitting under your tree right now. Robert Siciliano is back. He's an online safety expert working with Intel Security. Robert, good to see you. There was a time when all we had to worry about was our desktop computers and maybe our laptops, and now it's you know, these things and these little things, and now you're even saying a fitness tracker could be hacked. Are they going to find out that I'm 10 pounds overweight and I want to get it off?
Fitness trackers, drones, you name it. All of your wireless gadgets, even kids' toys, right? You know, different toys that say things and connect to the web and so forth. They record, they do video and audio. All that stuff. If it's wireless, it's hackable. If you can connect it to the computer in some way, it's hackable.
So let's start with, let's start with fitness trackers. What's in those things that a hacker might want?
Well, certainly there's a little bit of personal information there, but that's not necessarily what they're after. What they're after is, is the device itself. If they were to be able to connect to it wirelessly via either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, in some cases they can actually implant malware on there, malicious software, and then once you plug that device into your computer, computer, essentially to download the data off of it, the malware transfers from that device onto your laptop or desktop, basically infecting it. And that's how they get access to your credit card and banking account information.
So the little things are gateways to the big things, and I suppose that would include a smartwatch as well.
Smartwatch, you know, wirelessly connects to your, uh, smartphone, usually either via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. And exactly, so they can jump a bridge from the smartwatch to the mobile phone, and then from there they can infect your device. They can get access to all your usernames and passwords and all of your critical accounts via your mobile phone.
Yeah, and those mobile phones increasingly really are just small— they are small computers, much more powerful than the desktops that we had probably 7 or 8 years ago. And even children's toys are in this group.
Yes, there are a number of toys out this year. I'm not going to name any specific, you know, dolls and such that Kids have access to, obviously they give it to them as gifts, they take photo, video, they record audio. A lot of kids will sign up for an online account, meaning like that this particular toy, this doll, has its own webpage and everything else, and the kids gotta create an account. And then that means that the kid's information, their name, address, phone number, or the parent's information is now connected to this particular account. If that account is hacked, obviously that's a problem. But these devices also provide location data, audio and video that could reveal addresses and phone numbers and stuff like that. So, you know, buyer beware. It's important that parents know what they're getting themselves into. Even though it's for a kid, that doesn't mean it doesn't have adult implications.
So let's talk about some of the ways consumers can avoid being hacked with these little devices that we're using.
The most important thing is before you buy anything, you know, do some research on it. Find out if there are any security flaws, right? Find out if there are any firmware updates that need to happen, software updates that need to happen. Find out if the devices have been hacked if they pose any risks to you or your kids. And once you, once you get them, do a quick scan on them. You scan them with the antivirus if in fact you're plugging them into your computers to make sure that they aren't infected.
Oh, and we didn't mention drones. That's about one of the hottest gifts this season. Some call them toys. They really aren't. What's the concern about drones?
Interestingly, some hackers have actually created technology where they can hack your drone as it's flying through the air via Wi-Fi, because these are wireless devices, obviously. And as they hack your device, they can remotely control your device, and it can also use, uh, someone— a drone to snoop in on you through your windows. We call that visual hacking. So always be aware of visual hacking, and of course, you know, use drones on protected Wi-Fi as well.
Some of that's downright creepy. Robert Siciliano, thank you so much for being with us and giving us some important warnings. For more information, check out
