Does The Apple Watch Have Security Issues?

According to Jeff Benjamin at iDownloadBlog.com, Apple Inc. AAPL's Apple Watch OS 1.0 operating system lacks an important security feature that could make the Apple Watch more vulnerable to theft.

While Benjamin points out that security features are still in place to protect users’ personal data, the Apple Watch itself, according to a demonstration by Benjamin, can be reset and paired to a new iPhone without original user authorization—potentially leading to easy resell of stolen devices.

Passcode Versus Activation Lock

Like the iPhone, the Apple Watch is equipped with an optional passcode feature to protect the personal data of the user. However, according to Benjamin, the Apple Watch lacks the activation lock feature now standard in iPhones since the release of iOS 7.

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It is the absence of this activation lock, Benjamin claims, which makes the Apple Watch more susceptible to theft.

How Activation Lock Works

Activation lock prevents reset iPhones from being reactivated with a wireless carrier without first disabling the Find My iPhone feature. In order to disable Find My iPhone, the original user’s Apple ID and password must be supplied. This feature lowers the resell value of stolen iPhones and has proved an effective deterrent for thieves.

One year after the introduction of activation lock, iPhone thefts dropped by as much as 50 percent in some locations.

A Possible Solution

While the Apple Watch does not connect to a wireless carrier directly, Benjamin suggests that a feature similar to activation lock could be implemented to help prevent stolen Apple Watches from being easily paired to a new user’s iPhone.

Since the Apple Watch requires input of the user’s Apple ID prior to initial pairing, he proposes a feature which would require input of that same Apple ID and password before resetting the Apple Watch or before un-pairing the Apple Watch with the last paired iPhone.