Introduction to wearable tech

Wearable devices such as the newly released Apple Watch are a new development in smart technology that is beginning to take off now that large technology companies are actively contributing to their creation. While still relatively debutant, new models are being pushed out monthly with more and more added features. This inspired our team to question the possibility of pulling data from these devices and analyzing them in a digital forensic environment.

Analysis

We chose to do research and analysis on three of the newest popular wearable devices: the Apple Watch Sport, FitBit Flex, and Samsung Gear S2. The Apple Watch Sport was the first of its kind for Apple wearable technology and extremely popular among iPhone users. The Samsung Gear S2 is the most recent device in the Gear lineup which began with the original Galaxy Gear, released in 2013. Last but not least the Fitbit Flex, which parallels technology with fitness and remains one of the most popular brands of wearable smart devices available today.

Prior to our research phase, which began last week, each member of the team was given a wearable device to generate data over winter break. For about a month, the team members generated data through the device as an average user would. Determining how we are going to pull data from these devices is the main part of our research.

Conclusion

The team has yet to have any difficulties or roadblocks, but we can see them in the near future. Since the Apple Watch has no physical connections and uses a wireless charging method, data extraction will not be possible from the Apple Watch itself. This eliminates the team from getting any data that might reside on the Apple Watch. Next step will be rooting the Samsung Gear S2 to pull data. The team has begun research on circumventing both of these issues and it looks like that will be doable with a little extra work. Keep an eye out for our next blog post that will detail some of our progress and data extraction methods!  

If you have questions or comments about the project, you can leave a comment or contact the LCDI via Twitter @ChampForensics or via email at lcdi@champlain.edu. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook for the most recent updates!