Kaspersky Lab Wants To Secure Your Wearables

Wearable technology fans will now be able to safely secure their devices thanks to a new release from security expert Kaspersky Lab.

The firm has released a new version of its Kaspersky Internet Security for Android platform which includes an option for managing protection via Android Wear devices

The free app, which is available to download now, allows a user’s smartwatch to display notifications from a paired smartphone or tablet, including warnings about a threat detected on the device.

The app also allows users to remotely issue commands to their mobile device using a smartwatch by pressing keys on the screen or via voice control, which could be used to activate an audible alarm to find a lost phone, run a scan for Android malware and update anti-virus databases.

Growing threat

Kaspersky Lab says that the need for wearable-specific security products is down to a growing threat against such devices.

The company recently revealed that in 2015 alone, it registered nearly 17 million attacks by malicious mobile software, as well as detecting 88,774 new malicious programs, a three-fold increase on 2014’s figure, with the new threats including programs designed for surveillance, extortion, stealing money and other criminal activities.

“Statistics show that Android continues to be the second most attacked platform after Microsoft Windows, which is why owners of Android-based devices are strongly recommended to use security solutions,” said Alexey Chikov, product manager at Kaspersky Lab.

“At the same time, the Internet of Things market is rapidly developing, attracting more and more users. This means that security solution vendors need to make it possible for customers to use the IoT in combination with their protection solutions.”

Recent research from analyst firm Gartner predicts that 275 million wearable devices will be sold in 2016, an 18.4 percent increase from last year’s figure.

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