The news comes after the Army warned publicly this month that “service members across the military” had reported receiving the devices in the mail. It’s unclear who is mailing the suspicious watches, but the devices are telltale signs of a counterintelligence and cyberthreat. When used, the devices automatically connected to wireless networks and cell phones, “gaining access to a myriad of user data,” the advisory from the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division said.
Experts told CNN that smart devices, if unsecured, pose a persistent counterintelligence threat to US military personnel because of their ubiquity and the sensitive data they collect. “Junior-enlisted members of the military don’t make a ton of money, so getting a free smartwatch in the mail would certainly be exciting for many,” Rick Holland, an Army veteran and cybersecurity executive told CNN.