A recent hack shows that fitness tracking companies are vulnerable sources of sensitive data & are not engaging with privacy concerns sufficiently.
The Garmin ransomware attack, which recently took down the GPS company’s fitness tracking apps, customer service infrastructure, & most of its services, was a devastating attack that would concern anyone who uses a smartwatch, or other wearable devices.
Targets
The attack, which encrypted much of Garmin’s data, showed that companies that collect & use highly sensitive GPS, health, & fitness data are targets for hackers, & that Garmin, who are one of the largest players, did not take cyber-security seriously. Garmin’s “Connect” app was down for days.
Garmin have not been very open about the hack or what was affected, releasing only a vague statement.
US Military
Their devices are used by people to track their workouts, but are also used by the US military, & by boat captains, who use the company’s technology to avoid being lost at sea, for instance.
There is currently no indication that boat or military systems were affected by this hack.
