Someone has been randomly mailing smartwatches to U.S. Navy personnel, and officials are warning those who receive this free tech to not use the devices due to the potential for cyber-shadiness.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service confirmed Monday that “multiple” Navy personnel have reported receiving the unsolicited smartwatches in the mail, but NCIS officials declined to say exactly how many sailors are involved, citing an ongoing investigation.
“Smartwatches, like any wearable device, can be used by adversaries to gain a wide collection of personal information and pose a security threat to U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps service members,” NCIS spokesman Jeff Houston said in a statement.
Troops receiving such devices in the mail should report it to their chain of command or NCIS.
Over in the Army, soldiers have also been randomly receiving smartwatches in the mail.
The Army Criminal Investigation Division, or CID, issued a similar warning earlier this month, telling soldiers that the watches may contain malware that would grant whoever sent the peripherals “access to saved data to include banking information, contacts and account information such as usernames and passwords.”