Projects:2018s1-169 A Better Security Framework for Wearable Devices

Group 169 produced two research topics that are interconnected through wearable technology.

Research Topic 1: Improving the Technical Framework for Childrens Smartwatches Extended Abstract

Research Topic 2: Biometric Profiling of Wearable Devices for Medical Monitoring and Authentication

Authors

Topic 1

Inderbir Singh (Focusing on the Indian Market perspective)

Luke Jennings (Focusing on the Australian Market perspective)

Topic 2

Munirah DeVries

Supervisors

Matthew Sorell

Richard Matthews

Topic 1: Introduction

Today, parents have turned to smartwatches to be able to communicate with their children. Parents prefer these over smartphones because of their smaller size, limited functionality and sturdiness. However, these smartwatches have features that not only allow the parents to control who the child can communicate with, but can also activate GPS tracking to determine the child’s location at any time. The laws around surveillance and consent are critical, and some of these smartwatches favour functionalities over legal constraints. As such the technical framework of these devices must be reformulated to provide a solution to potential security flaws in different environmental scenarios, notably Australia and India, because these two environments present significantly different social constructs and so present challenges for a flexible solution.

Background

In Australia one smartwatch acts as a 3G phone, has GPS tracking and SMS messaging. Its security features consist of SOS Alerts, where a button can be pressed to call a sequence of guardians or local authorities, as well as contains Safe Places, which alert the parent or guardian if the smartwatch leaves or arrives at a predetermined location. These functions are controlled by an accompanying app, where parents can control the communications the smartwatch has with other phones. The app can be used by multiple family members under a single login, which is one of its largest security issues. Currently, there is nothing to stop, or control the access, of other family members who have gained access to the account. Should family relations become strained, the child’s smartwatch now effectively acts as a surveillance device potentially operated with ill-intent. This particular device will be used as a starting point to propose technical solutions. Conversely in India, there isn't a leading brand of children's smartwatch, and they don’t suffer as much from these situations. Instead, crimes such as abduction and abuse of children is more common and calls for a security device that parents can use to ensure the safety of their children. The task at hand is to formulate a flexible technical solution that incorporates the different sets of technical requirements for both environments.

Preliminary Research

In a recent investigation by IT security company mnemonic it was found that some smartwatch devices have critical security flaws which have led to several investigations and the legality of such devices brought up. The smartwatch being investigated for Australia abides by national safety and privacy standards, however there are no functionalities in place to prevent it from being used as an illegal surveillance device.

In Australia, the use of tracking devices becomes illegal once they are used without the expressed or implied consent of the person being tracked. A report by the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) summarises the current consent policies and suggests future recommendations. The ALRC concludes that a person is regarded as a minor if they are under the age of 18, and if they’re under the age of 15 the parents are responsible for providing consent. They recommend that the Privacy Act should be amended such that, if it is reasonable and practicable, a child under the age of 18 may undertake a capacity assessment to give consent, that Agencies and Organisations that regularly handle the information of minors ensure their staff are trained about issues concerning capacity, and that they should address in their privacy policy how such information is managed.

Conversely, in India, the issue about regarding informed consent for minors is more complex, due to child marriages. According to Guardians and Wards Act (GWA), 1890, it clearly states that any person who is not over the age of 18 is a minor. Therefore, the court or appointed authority has the power to choose a guardian for the child by nominating one or removing another. Since then, there haven't been many revisions, with the latest major revision being the Juvenile and Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act (JJC) in 2000. In 2016, this act was revised to deal with minors aged between 16-18 in the court of law by treating them as adults. The laws and policies around consent in India are outdated, with no evidence of a future reformation to be in-line with current technology. Since Australia and India are two different markets, considering the two different security needs of the children or family, while understanding the laws in such environments is crucial in formulating a flexible solution.

Solutions

The level of control the app has over the watch needs to be changed. Once a phone has logged into the app and connected with the smartwatch, there is no way to remove that phones access and is connected indefinitely, due to the single account login by design. There is no limit to the number of phones that can log into the parents account and can track the smartwatch at any time. Furthermore, there is no indication on the smartwatch, or app, when the GPS tracking has been activated, or any log for when the device was being tracked, who by, and for how long. There is no override function for the parents to stop other phones from accessing the app. There is no notification on the app that notifies the parents that the watch isn’t being worn so that tracking cannot be activated. Conversely in India, having a notification or override that allows GPS to be activated if the watch is forcibly removed is something that should be added.

Conclusion

Several solutions have been proposed that deal with possible scenarios that may occur, however the problem that is now faced is being able to implement a flexible solution to incorporate the many different security needs. More possible scenarios will be researched to provide a broader understanding on the requirements these devices shall need. Additionally, other similar devices will be researched to see how well they already cope with the scenarios proposed. The result of all this research will be to provide a flexible framework for smartwatches that shall be able to provide security and safety in multiple social environments.

Topic 2: Introduction

Biometric data from wearable devices provides a range of advantages from dynamic authentication to improved hospital grade patient monitoring. Bio- metric data is data that has been collected and processed for the identifica- tion of biological organisms through confirmation of unique characteristics.[1] Due to the unique physiologies of every individual it is proposed that a unique biometric fingerprint can be developed that can replace current au- thentication methods, from passports to passwords. In addition, the long- term monitoring and recording of biometric data would further improve the health care industry by providing physicians with a biological history to tailor better-informed medical advice and diagnosis. It is further proposed that there is a requirement for improved health monitoring devices that are marketed for at-home use. The digitation of Australian health care records is a small step towards at-home management of health care, which can be improved through online doctor-patient con- sultations that are facilitated by uploading biometric data from at-home medical equipment. It is suggested that prevention techniques will be im- plemented more successfully due to patients being better informed through the access of their medical and biometric data.[2]

The Aims

The current study focuses on the extraction of biometric information from non-intrusive wearables. Recreational and popular wearable devices, such as Fitbit and Apple watch, are under investigation due to the consistency in which they are worn, and their commercial in uence on consumers. The aim of the study is to determine the quality of biometric information obtained from the recreational wearables, to understand the devices' limitations, and the future improvements required to target user authentication and clinical- quality biometrics. The following study will initially focus on the children's wearable device, Spacetalk, and its limitations and security features regarding biometric data. Detailed engineering level access to the architecture and ecosystem of the the Spacetalk provides a solid platform for the study. The discoveries and conclusions will develop a foundation to understand the requirements for higher functioning wearables. The paper will continue by exploring current research and technology within the electronic health care system. Other technological applications for the biometric data will be discussed, mainly the idea of a wearable authentication device. This will lead into the analysis of a collection of biometric data obtained from the Fitbit and Apple watch. The analysis will include the processing stages and personalised conclusions which relate to the biological functions and activities of the user. The con- clusions along with unique biometric patterns will provide the basis of the unique user profile. The paper will continue by analysing the limitations of these devices, and thus future improvements that can be implemented for hospital-grade wearables. Suggestions for future research will be provided to conclude the study.

What is Spacetalk

The South-Australian company, MGM wireless, are known for successfully commercialising the use of the SMS automated communication system in 2002. The system facilitated communication between schools and parents, in particular school attendance, monitoring child safety and general parent communications. The company has successfully incorporated the technology across more than 1,350 schools in Australia, New Zealand and America. The company places emphasis on its strict privacy and data security standards which are upheld through complying with the Federal Australian Privacy Act 1998, and ensuring all employees and consultants undergo regular police checks.[3] Their success in child monitoring and security has evolved into a children's wearable device, called Spacetalk, which encompasses both a smartwatch and phone. The Spacetalk device allows parents to monitor and track their children through an app called \AllMyTribe". While the Spacetalk has been well received by parents, exhibited in sales \exceeding expectations"[4], does the watch truly protect the biometric information of the child?

Quasi-biometric Features

The Spacetalk watch incorporates two basic quasi-biometric features, the GPS and pedometer. Due to the simplicity of these features a standard accelerometer and MT6580 processor were implemented into the Spacetalk. The in-app processing of the quasi-biometric data incorporates limitations in the tracking of the user. The logging of GPS locations to the app's history has a minimum setting of every 5 minutes. However, this results in a battery life of approximately seven hours and therefore is not a desirable setting. The GPS history, starting from the moment of pairing the device is currently stored within AllMyTribe's systems, and accessible to parents through the app. Furthermore, the GPS included limited accuracy of a few meters, and the pedometer was observed to be insensitive to steps and resulted in lower than expected values. The limitations of the Spacetalk are beneficial to the security of the child, as the data limits the ability to construct a quasi-biometric profile.

Future Research

From the results of the Spacetalk device, two significant questions propel the future research of wearable devices for patient monitoring and authen- tication. 1. What combinations of biometric data are required to characterise a user through a unique profile? 2. What limitations are placed on the processing of data from the wear- able sensors and how can these be improved to produce clinical-quality biometric data? These questions will be explored by analysing the type and quality of data obtained from the Fitbit and Apple watch, and the types of sensors and data processing features implemented by the devices.

Green-light technology - Apple watch and Fitbit

Unlike the Spacetalk, Apple watch and Fitbit, among other wearables, in- corporate multiple sensors for obtaining a wide range of biometric informa- tion. One of the most common is a photoplethysmography (PPM) which is a green-light-based optical sensor that measures heart rate. The colour of light plays a critical role in the functionality of sensors. Green light is almost completely absorbed by oxy-haemoglobin, resulting in reduced sig- nal distortion of the heart rate measurement.[5] To achieve an engineering level understanding of green light technology as a sensor, a PPM will be constructed and processing techniques will be explored to understand the link between biometric accuracy and PPM data modulation.

Red-light technology - Hospital grade devices

Red-light-based optoelectronic sensors are utilised by hospitals to measure biometrics, such as measuring the amount of oxygen in the blood, and res- piratory rates. Red light is able to penetrate the body, due to its low ab- sorbability, and therefore is able to achieve more insightful data from a larger volume of tissue.[6] Unfortunately, a deeper penetration results in a higher noise distortion of the data, resulting in more complex processing techniques. For this reason, it is not desirable for companies to implement this technology in their wearable devices. This technology is being imle- mented by wearables such as the Biostrap, which utilises red LEDS and infrared PPM to claim clinical{quality heart analysis. Alternative and hy- brid sensor architectures such as red-light sensors, and red and blue light sensors will be explored to understand the device architecture required to obtain a wider range of biometrics for the development of a user profile.

Authentication

Physiological differences in individual's cardio-vascular and respiratory sys- tems are mirrored in the biometric data. Heart rate variability (HRV) is an inherent property of the heart and therefore attempts have been made to utilise it for biometric authentication. Unfortunately, there is a lack of HRV literature targeted towards biometrics.[7] The aim is to collate research among interdisciplinary studies to suggest how physiological properties such as HRV can be used to create an individual profile which can be embedded into a wearable device. The device would other an alternative to two-face authentication as it would essentially be something that knows something about something you are.

Conclusion

Common limitations of wearable devices include, transmission abilities, en- ergy reserve and device memory storage. Previous research has explored algorithms for data management, in particular the transmission of data through wireless interfaces to replace memory storage within the device. The techniques utilised include lossy data compression techniques and the analysis of the techniques complexity and compression performance. These techniques along with previous research and results will be explored to sug- gest suitable methods of data processing for both hospital grade and au- thentication purposes.

References

[1] techopedia. What is biometric data? - definition from techopedia, 2018.

[2] Australian Digital Health Agency. The future of digital health, Feb 2017.

[3] MGM. About us the most trusted name in school sms solutions, 2018.

[4] Alex Zaharov-Reutt. Spacetalk kids' smartwatch phone sales 'exceed expectations', Feb 2018.

[5] Michael Sawh. Red light, green light: Why fitbit's sensor shake-up is a huge deal, Aug 2017.

[6] Optoelectronic sensors in medical applications, Sep 2003.

[7] Nazneen Akhter, Sumegh Tharewal, Vijay Kale, Ashish Bhalerao, and KV Kale. Heart-based biometrics and possible use of heart rate vari- ability in biometric recognition systems. In Advanced Computing and Systems for Security, pages 15{29. Springer, 2016.

--A1687299 (talk) 17:43, 8 April 2018 (ACST)