Threats and Vulnerabilities Affecting Fitness Wearables: Security and Privacy Theoretical Analysis

Abstract

The introduction of fitness wearables has encouraged users to take control of their health and fitness habits. These wearables are capable of collecting real-time data through the sensors embedded within the devices. The collection of real-time data about the users is a concern, as exactly what data is collected by these wearables is not clear to the users. Security threats and vulnerabilities in the fitness wearable domain continue to increase due to the increasing use of these wearables. This study aims to investigate and analyse security vulnerabilities and threats that affect fitness wearables from a security and privacy perspective. The execution of this study involves two phases of methodology. The first phase employs a systematic literature review and qualitative content analysis to identify the threats and vulnerabilities affecting fitness wearables. The second phase employs the Microsoft STRIDE framework and CIA triad to conduct an analysis of the threats and vulnerabilities. The output of this study indicates that security is still a great concern, as these fitness wearables are exposed to various security threats. Furthermore, these security threats increase due to the many components that are part of the fitness wearable architecture creating multiple entry points for attackers.