{"id":154060,"date":"2022-06-02T03:41:16","date_gmt":"2022-06-02T10:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=154060"},"modified":"2024-01-25T03:43:32","modified_gmt":"2024-01-25T11:43:32","slug":"why-you-should-care-about-fitness-tracker-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/why-you-should-care-about-fitness-tracker-security\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Care About Fitness Tracker Security"},"content":{"rendered":"

Congratulations! You reached 10,000 steps today!<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a great feeling when a wearable fitness device vibrates to let you know when you hit the day\u2019s fitness goal. The digital fireworks display that lights up your watch\u2019s screen is a signal that you should keep on moving to challenge yourself more \u2026 or spend the rest of the day on the couch guilt-free.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While fitness wearable devices, trackers, and apps are excellent motivators for you, cybercriminals love them for their vulnerabilities and privacy loopholes. This doesn\u2019t mean you have to chuck your expensive watch in the bin or delete your fitness apps from your smartphone. Awareness and smart habits go a long way in deterring cybercriminals. Keep reading to learn more about wearable technology vulnerabilities and how you can sidestep each.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Location Data\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Many fitness tracker apps and wearables are equipped with GPS. At the end of a run or long walk, you can view your exact route, sometimes with detailed maps that show street and town names. This tracking feature was potentially dangerous back in 2018 when a fitness app released a heat map of all its users\u2019 running routes for the year, which clearly outlined secret military bases.<\/span>1<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if you\u2019re stationed in a suburb and not hostile territory, you may consider the risks of sharing your location data. A determined criminal who has time to spare can guess your address and see the times of days when you\u2019re commonly out at the gym or on a run.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Personally Identifiable Information<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

When you purchase a wearable fitness device, you often have to pair it with an accompanying smartphone app to see your daily stats and tailor your fitness goals. Think about all the <\/span>personally identifiable information<\/span><\/a> (PII) that app now houses: your full name, password, address, height, weight, location, medical concerns, daily activity patterns, etc. In the hands of a cybercriminal, this information can bring a nefarious actor one step closer to impersonating you. Plus, if your health data makes it onto the <\/span>dark web<\/span><\/a> or is sold to health companies, it may result in serious privacy concerns.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Luckily, there are ways to get peace of mind about the security of your identity. Identity protection services, such as <\/span>McAfee Identity Monitoring Service,<\/span><\/a> provide expert identity theft support and up to $1 million in identity theft coverage.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n