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Broadband & Mobile Featured Article
August 15, 2007
Hands-Free Bluetooth Devices Unsecure: ID Theft Expert
By Prabhala Ranga Sai TMCnet Contributing Editor
When you talk over a hands-free Bluetooth
device while driving your car, it is possible that some unwanted persons are listening to your conversation without your knowledge. Jim Stickley, ID theft expert and CTO of TraceSecurity, proved that the devices are vulnerable to eavesdropping.
device while driving your car, it is possible that some unwanted persons are listening to your conversation without your knowledge. Jim Stickley, ID theft expert and CTO of TraceSecurity, proved that the devices are vulnerable to eavesdropping.
Appearing on NBC’s TODAY show, Stickley demonstrated how vulnerable the hands-free car devices are even to the most simple of attacks.
During the testing, Stickly followed a car that was equipped with a hands-free Bluetooth device and listened the conversation without the knowledge of the occupants. He also exposed the lack of a mechanism to warn about eavesdropping.
These types of vulnerabilities have existed for years, but the surprising thing is even the new and latest products have not solved the problems, said Stickly. He advises users to verify the pairing mode of the device at the time of purchase itself. According to him, there should be a button to activate pairing mode and users should switch on it only when they want it. But if users already have insecure devices, it is better to leave them off or unplug them when not needed, he added.
TraceSecurity helps organizations through its solutions to achieve, maintain and demonstrate security compliance while improving their security posture. It also conducts penetration tests like the current demonstration of intercepting the conversations. Its tests mimic the actions of real-life invaders simulating an actual attack and exploiting weaknesses in security without the usual dangers involved.
P.R. Sai is a contributing writer for TMCnet
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