If you've been following cybersecurity news over the past year, you may have seen attacks via Bluetooth. Examples like BleuBorne have very scary prospects for smartphones that use Bluetooth to connect to external devices. This then begs the question:how secure is Bluetooth? Is it safe to use, or is it so full of holes you might as well keep it off?
SummaryTypes of Bluetooth AttacksHow Attacks WorkStop BroadcastBecoming UntraceableTurn Bluetooth OffHow Secure Is Bluetooth?It might seem odd that people could attack devices over Bluetooth, but it makes sense when you think about it. Since all sorts of accessories can connect via Bluetooth, you can access all sorts of features over a Bluetooth connection. Although it is intended to be used for productive purposes, hackers may use it for the following reasons:
Scary, right? Although Bluetooth has its flaws, it is not totally dangerous. As a user, there are many things you can do to prevent an attack from happening!
To understand how we stop an attack, we need to understand how hackers manage to execute in the first place. To do this, they need a device that is currently broadcasting a Bluetooth connection. This is how Bluetooth connections are made, by a device broadcasting its presence and allowing users to make a request to connect to it.
Even if you're only learning about the broadcast for the first time now, chances are you've already been covered the whole time. Some devices are designed to automatically control when its Bluetooth name is broadcast to help keep you safe. Android devices, for example, only broadcast their name when you're in the Bluetooth Settings screen to find other devices. Once you exit this screen, your phone will turn off again.
Once you are done using your Bluetooth devices, you can completely disable your Bluetooth adapter. Not only does it save battery life on mobile devices, but it makes it completely impossible for hackers to access it via Bluetooth. Laptops and smartphones usually have a quick way to turn Bluetooth on and off, either as a button on the device or as a toggle in the operating system itself.
So to answer the question of how secure Bluetooth is, it turns out that even though it has occasional flaws (just like other popular wireless communication methods), it's easy to protect yourself from hackers. Simply keep your device untraceable after pairing and turn it off completely when not in use. This way you can avoid being the target of attacks.
Do you feel safe with Bluetooth? Let us know below!
Image credit:Unicode Bluetooth Device Name
