Top Security Risks When Using Bluetooth

Bluetooth is one of the most used technologies to communicate and connect devices. It is not something new, far from it; has been with us for many years. But with the passage of time its popularity has not waned, but has been advancing and improving. Today it is much faster, stable and also allows us to connect from a greater distance. Let’s see what are the main risks and attacks that exist when using Bluetooth. We will also give advice to be protected.

Main risks that can arise when using Bluetooth

Hackers often set their sights on what is heavily used. Bluetooth of course is. Therefore we can find many methods that can be used, vulnerabilities that may arise and, ultimately, risks that users may suffer.

Top Security Risks When Using Bluetooth

BlueSmacking

One of the problems that we can find when using a device with Bluetooth is what is known as BlueSmacking . It is basically a denial of service attack. It can affect many types of devices that use this technology.

What the attacker does is send multiple requests . It is something similar to what could happen with a web server that receives many requests and that cannot cover that much. It may happen that it receives many more data packets than it can support, or that those packets are larger than it can support.

Although it is not the most dangerous type of attack, it could significantly affect the operation of a device at any given time. Of course, it can usually be corrected simply by restarting it and running it normally again.

BlueSnarfing

Through a BlueSnarfing attack, a hacker could receive data from our device, personal data and, ultimately, any information that could be used against us. It is undoubtedly a dangerous method, since it seriously compromises our privacy and security.

In this way, a cybercriminal could send dangerous files via Bluetooth with the intention not only of infecting our device and causing it to malfunction, but also of obtaining personal data. This data can be used to carry out other attacks, such as a Phishing attack in which you need to know certain personal information to be successful.

BlueJacking

One more attack is what is known as BlueJacking . It consists of sending messages by another device. Usually this is advertising content, what we could refer to as “Bluetooth Spam”. By itself it is not dangerous, although these messages could even be used to launch Phishing attacks.

The cybercriminal could take advantage of the BlueJacking method to send a Bluetooth message to the victim and that message contains a link to a malicious site. For example, it could be a page that pretends to be a social network or the email provider and the victim, when trying to log in, is sending this data to a server controlled by the attacker.

BlueBugging

Continuing with the “Blue” attacks, one more is BlueBugging . This time it is an exploit that can be used to establish a back door in a computer that uses this technology to communicate. Through that back door you can establish communication, steal data and even send malicious files.

This is one of the methods that they can use to spy on a user via Bluetooth. It is a significant problem, since today our personal information has great value on the network and attackers may find a way to try to get that data and compromise our privacy.

Location tracking

We have more and more devices that have a Bluetooth connection. We can think, for example, of the sports bracelets or watches that we wear to record our physical activity. In many cases we are also recording the route we take and, therefore, our location .

An attacker could use Bluetooth precisely to track our location. This is a problem that can threaten our privacy, beyond even affecting personal security. They take advantage of the information that devices collect.

Saber ubicación al entrar en una web

BlueBorne attacks

Hackers may not be content to simply infect a device, but will also want to try to reach as many as possible. A BlueBorne attack consists of first infecting a device with malware and then reaching other computers to which the device that is already infected connects via Bluetooth.

Therefore, a BlueBorne attack can compromise the security of many more devices. It would affect all those to whom we connect a mobile phone that has previously been infected by malware designed for it, for example. It is a major problem, as we see.

Listening to conversations

Bluetooth could also be used for listening. They can spy on us through conversations that we carry out with a microphone connected by this means, but also even read our conversations in case of accessing the content.

Today the truth is that communication devices that have Bluetooth technology are very popular. They are very present in our day to day and in case of being attacked our privacy could be compromised.

In short, these are some of the main risks and attacks that we can suffer when using Bluetooth. It is essential to avoid problems and keep our equipment properly protected at all times.

How to avoid Bluetooth attacks

We have seen some of the main risks and attacks when using Bluetooth. These are problems that can arise and seriously compromise our teams. Hence, we must at all times improve security and be properly protected.

Keep devices up to date

Undoubtedly a very important factor is keeping the equipment updated . Many of the attacks, and not only through Bluetooth, arrive due to security flaws in the equipment. Hence, it is necessary to keep them updated and correct any complications that may arise.

Turn off Bluetooth when we don’t use it

If we are not using Bluetooth it is best to have it turned off . In this way we reduce the risk to the maximum. They could not detect our devices and send possible dangerous files. It is an interesting recommendation that we can put into practice in a simple way.

Fallos de seguridad en el Bluetooth

Do not accept data submission without verifying the source

In this case we are before a common sense advice. We must avoid accepting the sending of files or any type of data without verifying well what the source is and if it could be a danger to our security. It is a point that cannot be missed.

Connect only to trusted devices

On the other hand, one more piece of advice is to connect only to teams that we recognize and that we can fully trust. We must avoid linking our Bluetooth to third-party devices, so that we do not really know who it belongs to and that could therefore be a danger to our security.