On #WayBackWednesday, our 8-Bit history lesson goes back to the early 2000’s when Bluetooth was first implemented in mobile phones. It was used to wirelessly connect headsets, but it wasn‘t long before enthusiasts started to investigate the opportunities the protocol offered.
One of the earliest „hacks“ was called Bluejacking. Bluejackers exploited a feature which allowed them to send unsolicited messages to mobile devices. Back then, messages were used primarily for marketing purposes (and partially to annoy the mobile device owner). Today, Bluejacking can be used to trick victims into adding malicious actors as contacts (for further grooming purposes) or to redirect victims to malicious websites.
Bluejacking is only one type of attack that can be used with Bluetooth enabled devices. With the many versions of Bluetooth, the attack surface has expanded with time. Great care must be taken by manufacturers when developing features using Bluetooth so that they are reasonably secured. To learn more about what could go wrong, tune into Sarah Mader‘s BSides Munich talk, „Hacking and Exploit Development for Bluetooth Low Energy.“ https://youtu.be/kSl2OsXly_Q?feature=shared
For more information on Bluejacking, the risks and how to protect yourself, see: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-life-hacks/privacy-and-safety/what-is-bluejacking
#BSidesMunich2024
BSidesMunich 8-Bit :: Forged by