Bluetooth Is – No wireless technology is foolproof, and Bluetooth is no exception. Smart cybercriminals rely on three proven methods to surreptitiously access devices via Bluetooth functionality.
There are several things you can do to protect your Bluetooth devices from these types of attacks.
Bluetooth Is
Read our full article for more safety tips, learn how Bluetooth works, and compare the pros and cons of this handy technology.
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Bluetooth is an integral part of today’s technology landscape. From smartphones to keyboards to cars, people connect devices invisibly and automatically without a second thought. The question is: how secure is Bluetooth?
In most cases, Bluetooth is more secure than Wi-Fi. However, as with all wireless systems, unintended recipients can view your data. It’s not just about people discovering what music you’re streaming to your Bluetooth headphones, either. Bluetooth can expose a lot of data from your mobile phone, laptop or computer.
Now is the time to learn all about Bluetooth: what it is, how it works, common Bluetooth attacks, and tips to maximize Bluetooth security.
Bluetooth technology is a protocol for establishing a local area network to exchange data wirelessly between nearby devices. In other words, with Bluetooth you can share information between, say, your phone and your headphones without the need for a cable.
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Bluetooth is an open standard, meaning that anyone can freely use the technology without a license. This is one of the main reasons why Bluetooth is so popular and is being built into more and more devices every day.
The technology was developed in the early 1990s by Jaap Haartsen, who worked for Ericsson. Today, you can find almost anything with a Bluetooth connection – from wireless headphones to speakers to your kitchen fridge. Almost all newly manufactured devices have built-in Bluetooth functionality.
In the 9th century, the Danish Viking leader Harald Danmark, also called Harald Blåtand (meaning “Bluetooth”), was crowned king of Denmark. Later he united his kingdom with Norway. The method of connecting mobile phone headsets wirelessly is named after Viking leaders, in recognition of the Nordic countries’ important role in the development of mobile technology.
Bluetooth connects various devices wirelessly, such as phones and laptops. It eliminates the need for a (USB) cable when you want to exchange data between two devices. Bluetooth technology uses short-wave UHF radio waves to establish the connection, effectively making it a radio connection. Bluetooth works on frequencies between 2.402 and 2.480 GHz.
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Bluetooth devices must be in close proximity to each other to exchange information, usually within 10 meters (30 feet). Because the broadcast signals are very weak, they usually have no effect on other devices operating on the same frequency.
When you connect two Bluetooth devices for the first time, this is called pairing. You must authorize each new connection, which makes Bluetooth relatively secure. When the devices connect for the first time, the pairing is usually remembered and future connections happen automatically, at least when both devices have Bluetooth enabled and are close to each other.
Although Bluetooth connection is relatively weak, it is still effective. For example, the songs you listen to are sent directly from your Spotify app to your headphones. It is even possible to connect up to eight devices in a network. But only one device, the “master”, can transmit data. All other devices, such as speakers in various parts of your home, are “receivers”.
One of the great things about Bluetooth is that it uses frequency hopping. This means the connection bounces between different frequencies within its range to maintain a strong, stable connection.
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There are 79 frequencies that each Bluetooth network can choose from, so it’s easy to avoid frequencies already in use by other devices, like your garage door.
Bluetooth has become a ubiquitous part of our daily lives. We use Bluetooth technology every day in a variety of ways, often without even thinking about it:
Wireless: You can use headphones without annoying cable tangles. Your printer, mouse and keyboard don’t need cables, making your desk stylish.
Battery consumption: Despite the relatively low power consumption, you still need to charge Bluetooth devices often. If your smartphone has Bluetooth enabled, the battery will drain faster.
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Automatic and easy: You only need to activate Bluetooth on both devices for them to “find” each other. Once paired, all future connections are automatic.
Health problems: Although no direct link has been found, there are questions about the relationship between Bluetooth radiation and health problems such as dizziness, sleep problems, anxiety, depression and even brain tumors.
Easy to find: Bluetooth technology easily finds nearby devices. This benefit is also a potential risk. Hackers can see which devices are nearby and attack. This is a hazard in public spaces, such as airports, trains and cafes.
Multiple devices: A Bluetooth network can connect up to eight devices, one of which is the “master” controlling all other connected devices.
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Range: To work reliably, your Bluetooth devices must be within 10 meters of each other. This limitation makes Bluetooth a poor choice for some wireless applications.
Secure connection: Since you have to accept connections that aren’t already part of your network and Bluetooth only works over short distances, it’s hard (but not impossible) to get the signal.
Slow data transfer: Wireless technology has limitations on how fast it can transfer data. Although the latest versions of Bluetooth are much faster than their predecessors, they still do not match other technologies such as Wi-Fi and USB in terms of speed.
No wireless technology is 100 percent secure, and Bluetooth is no exception. So how secure is Bluetooth? There are three common ways that smart criminals can compromise your Bluetooth security: bluejacking, bluesnarfing, and bluebugging.
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This type of cyberattack involves one Bluetooth-enabled device hijacking another and spamming the hijacked device. Mostly this is annoying, but if a recipient falls for such a phishing attempt and clicks on a link in one of these spam messages, bigger problems can arise. The link often takes you to a website where your personal information is stolen or malware is installed on your device.
A bluesnarfing attack is similar to bluejacking, but scarier. Where bluejacking only sends information to your device, bluesnarfing also extracts information from your device. Data such as text messages, photos, emails, and even the identification information your device sends to your ISP can be stolen. The hacker can use this information for a variety of purposes, none of them good.
This is where hackers establish a stealthy Bluetooth connection to your phone or laptop. They then use this connection to gain backdoor access to your device. Once inside, they can spy on your activity, access your sensitive information, and even use your device to impersonate you in any app on your device, including the apps you use for online banking.
This type of attack is called bluebugging because it is similar to how to bug a phone. Once the phone is under control, cybercriminals can use it to make private calls and eavesdrop on conversations.
Bluetooth Technologies And Evolution
No device is immune to a Bluetooth security threat. There are plenty of examples that show how vulnerable any Bluetooth device is to being hacked by certain cybercriminals.
In 2017, for example, the well-known BlueBorn attack showed that Bluetooth technology could be hacked without the attacker being paired with the device. Devices can be infected even when they were in undetected mode. Once hacked, a hacker could take full control of the device and then use it to access networks and steal data, launch ransomware demands, and spread malware to other nearby devices. Virtually all Bluetooth-enabled devices were vulnerable to a BlueBorne attack.
In 2019, a collection of vulnerabilities in Apple’s macOS allowed hackers to take over devices via Bluewave Zero-Click Bugs. Just a few months later, it was Android’s turn: the BlueFrag leak allowed hackers to steal personal data, spread a worm virus, or silently run arbitrary code on your smartphone via Bluetooth.
Although most of these vulnerabilities were fixed in time, it shows that Bluetooth is not completely secure. Incorporating preventative measures into your online security routine is incredibly important.
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You might think that hackers are the only threat when it comes to Bluetooth security. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Many apps, including popular ones from Facebook, Google, and others, use your device’s Bluetooth functionality to track your location.
When you turn off Bluetooth on your device, it stops transmitting but still recognizes nearby Bluetooth signals. App developers use these Bluetooth signals to find your location. This means that app developers can track you wherever you go and keep records of your daily movements (at least if you carry the device with you). The scariest part is that Bluetooth makes a very accurate measurement.
Many app developers state in their privacy notices that they use Bluetooth to track your location, but as we all know, most people don’t actually read those statements in detail. As such, most regular consumers are unaware of the risks.
You can protect your privacy by carefully reading the privacy policy to see if the apps you install do
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