Bluesnarfing is a kind of attack that hackers perform via the Bluetooth. So on the device like mobile, laptop, tablets if the connection left open then an attacker may gain the unauthorized access and steal your personal data without leaving any traces! Let’s get more in to details and see what exactly can be achieved by Bluesnarfing attack.
What is Bluesnarfing?
The Bluetooth technology that’s now in our mobile devices is a great technology. It’s there and we can communicate with our computer, we can communicate with other mobile devices all with this wireless Bluetooth connection.
It even allows us to use headsets/headphones or earbuds without any wires anywhere which is simply a very comfortable while conversation, listening music, or watching movies.
The problem, of course, is that any time you have a wireless network there’s an opportunity for some people to abuse that wireless network and this is something called bluejacking/bluesnarfing. If we talk about the Bluesnarfing attack then it is a much more serious attack than bluejacking which is more of a practical joke that does not alter any data loose.
Blusnarfing allows the hacker to take complete control of the device and access many of the functions and all of the data in the device. The hacker is able to make calls and texts, listen to conversations and remove all information without the phone’s owner being alerted.
Is Bluesnarfing Attack Easy to Perform?
Well this attack is very difficult to do especially if the phone is placed in non discoverable mode and either requires special equipment or for the hacker to be within 30 feet/ 10 meters of the phone.
A hacker must have special equipment to increase the range of the paired phone so it can attack phones easily from distance. If this equipment is not available the hacker must be within 30 feet or around 10 meters of the victims phone else the attack will not perform.
There are several types of attacks possible on Bluetooth devices. Regarding blue snarfing, it is one of the most serious and can be easily performed on old Bluetooth enabled phones.
So yes the old devices with old Bluetooth versions are at the high risk while the devices packed with latest Bluetooth version are decent secure and can be prevented easily from these type of attacks.
How this Attack is Done?
A hacker pairs his or her mobile phone with the victim’s phone allowing the hacker to access features and data through the paired phone. The phone’s owner will not be aware of the attack unless the hacker makes the attack apparent by destroying the phone software.
When a phone is blue snarfed the hacker gains access to everything on the phone. He or she is able to make calls through the paired phone, send text messages, read the owners calendar and memos and do anything else desired.
Stealing data using bluesnarfing is illegal because it is an extreme violation of privacy.
How you can prevent your phone data from Bluesnarfing?
By following some rules we can easily prevent our phone personal data from these kind of Bluetooth attack. So here’s some things that we can do:
- Keep the Update phone that comes with latest Bluetooth version.
- Keep your Bluetooth connectivity turn off if no device connected.
- Don’t enable Bluetooth connection in cafe, stations, local store as this attack is possible in the short range.
- Always keep your device software/OS up to date.
- You can put your phone in non discoverable mode.
So that’s what we know so far about the Bluesnarfing. If you have any questions, please let us know in the comment section below.
