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Growing trend At the moment Google Glass, smartwatches such as Pebble and iWatch, and fitness wearables are something of a novelty, but when students adopt wearable tech in paterns similar to tablets, as they are predicted to do, a new set of security challenges could be created. The big impact, if it comes, will be from visuals (glasses) and smartwatches through which tasks can be performed covertly and uploaded onto Dropbox or other outside services. But to a large degree this applies to smartphones and tablets. Visuals present a unique challenge because they can
record everything the wearer sees. It is not difficult to understand the security implications, and different types of wearables are on the way. Sony has filed a patent for a Smartwig. While this sounds comedic it is actually a serious proposition, and indicative of how far companies are prepared to go in developing wearable technology. The security risk, of course, comes from data loss
and device exploitation. This could be in the form of image capture, or the storage of data and other forms of sensitive information. While the actual user may have no malicious intentions there is no device that has not yet been hacked, and the potential losses of information could be very serious.
There is a school of thought that universities should
consider a separate wireless network for wearables that cannot be connected to sensitive information. But to many this is an extreme and unnecessary measure. According to a recent survey by network software
specialists Ipswitch, most UK universities are unprepared for what WYOD will bring. Although 99% of those polled have invested in networks, most have no plan for dealing with WYOD. Dr Kevin Curran, Reader In Computer Science at the
University of Ulster, understands the challenges from both a technical perspective and as someone involved in daily campus life. “Wearables come with their own specific security challenges, but the principles of security apply to all mobile devices. The moment they are put down and out of sight they are vulnerable. What should be happening is the encouragement of users to create demarcation between what is personal and what is not, and on devices there should be a secure partition between the two,” said Curran. “Most people use laptops and tablets for work and
leisure. It is therefore helpful to create a mindset that recognises that these are two different activities that are only compatible in terms of the technology they sit within. Device containerisation is something that
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