Can Your Estimote Be Hacked? Yes It Can (For Now)
Your Beacons Can Be Hijacked (If You Don’t Do It Right)
Estimote beacons can be ‘hacked’ and coders with malicious intent could change the advertising packet data in the devices. If the devices were being deployed on a large scale the exploit would mean that the beacon you put up in your store could, in theory, be changed and made useless – or even worse, made to work for your competitor’s app instead of your own. (More…)
Well said Doug. We shouldn’t underestimate the importance of security in beacon powered apps. Despite all the attention from the tech world, beacons are yet to go mainstream because businesses have quite a few security concerns around beacons. Especially with a team having managed to crack the CES 2014 Scavenger Hunt, a beacon powered app without even being present at the venue physically. Therefore, when it comes to developing apps for proximity solutions, you should incorporate a security model that addresses the common risks involved such as device spoofing and man-in-the-middle interception. Another important thing to note is that, the compensation security mechanism you employ should suit the concerned application. We have compiled a checklist on various ways to assess beacon security here; http://blog.beaconstac.com/6-myths-around-beacon-security-and-privacy/