Wearable Smart Sensors Blog October Archive

Bluejacking, Bluesnarfing, and Bluebugging

In a Smart Sensor Networks (SSN) Security should never be an after thought:

Bluejacking, Bluesnarfing, and Bluebugging

-- You've Heard about Bluetooth. But How about Bluejacking, Bluesnarfing, and Bluebugging?

A study by research firm InsightExpress has revealed that 73% of mobile device users are not acquainted with security issues that could put at risk mobile devices such as cellphones and Bluetooth-equipped notebooks. To these users, terms such as bluejacking, bluesnarfing or even bluebugging would probably be unfamiliar. Bluejacking, also known as bluespamming, is a technique used to send anonymous text messages to mobile users via Bluetooth. Bluesnarfing, a more dangerous technique, can allow a hacker to access information stored on a mobile device without its user's knowledge. Possibly the most serious of the three risks is bluebugging. This technique allows attackers to access mobile-phone commands using Bluetooth technology, without notifying or alerting the device owner, and initiate phone calls, send and receive text messages, read and write phonebook contacts, eavesdrop on phone conversations, and connect to the Internet.

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Source: SANS Institute Security Newsletter for Computer Users OUCH! Vol.4 #10