Everyone uses Bluetooth. Perhaps they shouldn't.
The [EP05] Lovely Ladies Dormitorytechnology that we've come to rely on to connect our phones, smart speakers, cars, vibrators, and toasters is problematic for reasons more serious than pairing issues. Bluetooth has been shown time and time again to be a security and privacy nightmare — albeit one that can be mostly solved with a simple toggling of an off switch.
You just have to decide to flip that switch.
Bluetooth has long been a dirty word for security professionals. So much so, in fact, that one of the most common pieces of advice given to attendees of the annual DEF CON hacker conference in Las Vegas is to make sure Bluetooth is disabled on their phones.
This is not just paranoia. In fact, at this year's DEF CON researchers showed off the ability to use Bluetooth to identify vulnerable digital speakers. Once identified, hackers could take control of the devices and force them to play "dangerous" sounds that could lead to hearing loss in anyone unfortunate enough to be nearby.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Other Bluetooth-related concerns, while more prosaic, are still problematic. Earlier this week researchers announced a flaw that could allow hackers to both intercept and alter data sent over Bluetooth.
"[An] attacker is able to the listen in on, or change the content of, nearby Bluetooth communication, even between devices that have previously been successfully paired," explain the researchers.
SEE ALSO: Hackers can ransomware your fancy digital cameraThat's not all. Just a few weeks ago researchers demonstrated how AirDrop can be used by malicious actors to determine your full phone number (which reveals a lot about you) due to the way Bluetooth Low Energy works.
It gets worse. As the New York Timesand others have reported, many stores now use Bluetooth beacons to track the location of individual shoppers down to the inch. That information is often sold or given to advertisers, who then use it to build data profiles on unwitting people just trying to buy a carton of milk.
Essentially, keeping Bluetooth enabled on your phone at all times opens you up to potential hacks, abuse, and privacy violations. The solution is simple: Don't use it. Or, if you must, make sure to turn it off as soon as you've unpaired from the device in question.
That precaution may seem like a pain in the ass now, but any frustration that comes from repeatedly pairing and unpairing your gadgets pales in comparison to getting hacked or having your privacy systematically violated.
So turn off Bluetooth, grab some wired headphones, and enjoy the sweet sound of knowing you took a basic digital security precaution.
Topics Bluetooth Cybersecurity Privacy
Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' makes iTunes chartsTwitter account shows what images Osama bin Laden had on his devicesLatina Equal Pay Day is in November, and that's a problem'Stranger Things 2' is channeling Harry PotterHow to tell your boss that you are quitting to start your own businessInside Xbox's sleepover popRohingya refugee crisis gets broken down in one powerful GIFHow to sign up for Samsung's Android Oreo beta for the Galaxy S82 senators just trolled FacebookApple iPhone X Animojis and music make perfect karaokeRich man shuts down DNAinfo and Gothamist after employees unionizeAmazon is giving away Thor graphic novels and nobody noticedSuspected burglar found stuck in a chicken shop ventThieves stole more than 300 iPhone X devices from a UPS truckBuying stuff at Walmart and selling it on Amazon nets this guy millions of dollarsAfter Gothamist archives disappear, heroic coders build tool to recover articlesA World Series win got even sweeter after this Astros' player's on2 senators just trolled FacebookRussian hackers aimed big, targeted more than the US election: reportHere's how to tell if you're yelling at a bot on Twitter Artist ironically uses AI to make portraits of people with jobs likely displaced by AI Ancient 'skull cult' might've carved up bones to shame their enemies Uber now allows you to order cars for your elderly parents and drunk friends Genius programmer hacks Mark Hamill's online game to make him face Darth Vader Best singles of 2017 Apps will be worth $6.3 trillion by 2021, and we'll spend way too much time on them Apple job listing seeks Siri's own personal assistant Taco Bell actually went ahead and married a hungry couple 'Game of Thrones' comes to Comic 'Game of Thrones' star who played Young Hodor crushed his Reddit AMA The 'Guardians of the Galaxy' 'Star Wars' reference that never was Pikachu chases down Team Rocket in a thrilling parkour sequence NASCAR just shared a recipe for deep 'Broad City' star Abbi Jacobson's new podcast will make you feel less dumb about art Britney Spears has HAD IT with your lip Google is experimenting with a cube Galaxy Note 7s are coming to South Korea, because nothing ever dies What you missed at VidCon 2017, according to someone who's been to every one James Harrison's workout Instagrams will either motivate or depress the hell out of you Salesforce introduces three new Einstein AI tools for developers
2.8968s , 10129.953125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【[EP05] Lovely Ladies Dormitory】,Warmth Information Network