Nok Nok Labs has released the first FIDO authentication solution designed specifically for smart watch devices. Dubbed the Nok Nok App SDK for Smart Watch, the solution is based on the same technology that is already used to safeguard web and mobile apps, and extends those strong FIDO standards to the smart watch ecosystem.
The SDK provides access control for the smart watch itself, and can therefore be deployed whether the watch is tethered to a smartphone or linked directly to a Wi-Fi network. According to Nok Nok, the solution allows developers to replace the vulnerable OAuth tokens that are typically used to protect smart watch applications.
“The ability to access sensitive information via smart watch necessitates a more secure method of authentication that integrates with existing backend security infrastructures,” said Nok Nok Products VP Rolf Lindemann. “Nok Nok now brings the same level of security to smart watches as it previously did with Mobile Apps and Web Browsers.”
Nok Nok notes that smart watch security will become increasingly important as the devices become more popular and offer features that require strong customer authentication, including financial applications like mobile banking and Apple Pay. To that end, Nok Nok is a co-founder of the FIDO Alliance and a longtime supporter of FIDO standards, and repeatedly encouraged organizations to adopt those standards in an effort to strengthen data security.
At the moment, the Smart Watch SDK is only available for the Apple watchOS. Nok Nok did not indicate if the solution will migrate to other smart watch platforms in the future.
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