Are Pet Trackers With GPS Safe To Use?

If you want to track your pet's location at all times, GPS trackers are now widely available, promising to do just that. These tiny devices attach directly to the pet's collar and provide some protection against the pet's loss or theft.

These products have grown in popularity in recent years, but some security experts point out that they can be easily hacked. This is problematic because, in addition to personal information, it can provide cybercriminals with the exact location of your pet.

So how safe are GPS pet trackers? Should you use it?

Are GPS pet trackers safe to use?

GPS pet trackers are designed to improve pet safety. If your pet goes missing, you'll be glad you're using it. At the same time, they are not devices that should be used without research.

A 2018 Kaspersky Lab report noted that many popular trackers have design flaws that could allow them to be controlled by people other than pet owners. It is also possible that any private information installed on the app could be stolen.

While it's not believed anyone is currently trying to hack pet trackers, it's a plausible threat. Cats and dogs, especially designer breeds, are often stolen. If thieves want to know what pets are the easiest to steal, the ability to access their trackers is obviously ideal for that purpose.

Why are GPS pet trackers vulnerable to hacking?

Internet of Things (IoT) devices are designed primarily for portability and ease of use, not to deter hackers, making their security questionable at best. GPS pet trackers seem to follow this trend.

Kaspersky Lab's research included a random selection of popular GPS trackers. Several major problems were found to be prevalent.

Most GPS pet trackers use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) instead of standard Bluetooth. This is a security concern because BLE allows two devices to pair with each other without authentication. This allows anyone with a smartphone to pair with a GPS tracker and receive the pet's coordinates. In other words, cybercriminals don't even need to crack the tracker; they can simply pair it.

GPS pet trackers typically use the mobile network to send pet coordinates. However, to save energy, some trackers are designed to only do so when not paired with a smartphone. This is a notable design flaw, as it means that if a hacker is paired with the tracker, the tracker will stop using the mobile network to send coordinates, which would hide the pet's location.

Some GPS pet tracker apps don't verify the certificate of the server they connect to. They also store personal information, such as usernames and passwords, without encryption. This makes the application vulnerable to man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, which hackers can access when the information is sent to the server.

What are the risks of using a GPS pet tracker?

While it is not currently believed that GPS pet trackers are being used maliciously, the aforementioned weaknesses can be used for a variety of nefarious purposes.

pets may be stolen

The most obvious danger of pet trackers is that they could be used to kidnap pets. If hackers manage to access the pet's coordinates, they can use them to kidnap the animal immediately or try to predict the pet's future location. If the animal frequently goes to a specific place without many people around, the pet's coordinates will highlight this.

possible crimes against pet owners

The pet's coordinates can also be used to learn about its owner. If a pet is always going to a certain place at a certain time, this may indicate that it was brought there by its owner. Or, if pets are always let out of the house at a certain time, this may be when the owner wakes up. This information may be useful for various crimes against animal owners.

Personal information may be stolen

Any information stored on an unsecured pet tracker can be stolen. These devices aren't designed to store a lot of personal information, but they do contain the owner's name and email address. If the owner uses that password on other platforms, the password used on the tracker will also have value.

Are any GPS trackers safe to use?

GPS trackers are used for a variety of different purposes, and it's worth noting that it's not just pet trackers that are vulnerable to hacking. A 2022 study found that popular GPS trackers for vehicles also have serious security flaws.

The most serious security issue identified was that the app used by the tracker contained hard-coded passwords. This means that the password is left in the application's source code, so anyone who downloads it can access it. This password can then be used to take full control of the tracker.

The researchers also noted that the tracker in question included a fuel-cut feature. So if someone took control of the device, they could not only track the vehicle's location, but could also cause the vehicle to stop.

While GPS trackers can be useful, it appears that these devices cannot be trusted to keep your coordinates private. Therefore, they should not be used for any purpose important to privacy.

Should you use a GPS pet tracker?

GPS pet trackers are not safety devices. If you choose to use one or the other, you may be giving hackers information about yourself and your pets.

Meanwhile, there have not been any reports of pets being stolen using trackers. Therefore, it is debatable whether they should be avoided.

GPS pet trackers are popular primarily because they provide a way to find your pet if it gets lost. Some might argue that the potential security risk is worth it if this can be prevented.