Is Bluetooth a security risk? Depends on who and where you are
Use Bluetooth at your own risk
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Vice President Kamala Harris is "Bluetooth phobic" according to a recent report and shuns AirPods because of the inherent security risk associated with the ubiquitous wireless technology."
As a result, Harris insists on using wired headphones, the report said.
Harris’ phobia may be well-founded for people with "elevated risk factors," John Bambenek, Principal Threat Hunter at Netenrich, a San Jose, Calif.-based digital IT and security operations company, told Fox Business.
AirPods are Bluetooth headsets designed to work seamlessly with Apple’s software. The setup involves little more than opening the case near your phone and tapping "Connect." (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
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Bambenek said that recent administrations have wrestled with balancing high-level access to personal devices and security.
"The reality is the Vice President is in a bubble to prevent…espionage…This tension has existed in the last several administrations between President Obama and his blackberry and President Trump and his access to Twitter. The difference is the Vice President is erring on the side of security and that’s probably the right approach to take," Bambenek said.
Wired headphones may be safer than Bluetooth from a security perspective. (iStock)
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In 2020, an AT&T Cybersecurity blog listed Bluetooth attacker schemes including BlueSnarfing, which filches text messages, contact lists, and photos linked to the unique identifying information on your phone or laptop, and BlueBugging, which uses Bluetooth to establish a backdoor on a victim’s phone or laptop, giving a hacker access to sensitive information and potentially allowing them to spy on your activity.
And back in 2019, Security Boulevard, a cybersecurity news website, reported that attendees at the hacker convention DEF CON were warning that the "problem is chronic with devices like headphones [and] fitness trackers" and that Bluetooth devices "seem to have gaping holes just waiting to be hacked."
"It’s a known best practice in the cybersecurity industry to turn off Bluetooth and other NFC [Near Field Communication] capabilities at events or gatherings where you’re surrounded by people you don’t know," Hank Schless, Senior Manager, Security Solutions at Lookout, a San Francisco, Calif.-based endpoint-to-cloud security company, told Fox Business."
Attackers will often hide in plain sight and try to ping or connect to devices that have these capabilities enabled… vulnerabilities could allow them to access data stored on the device or take control of it altogether," Schless said.
anonymous person in the hood sitting in front of computer working with laptop and mobile phone (iStock / iStock)
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But that doesn’t mean the average consumer should fear Bluetooth or stop using the technology for casual consumption. VP Harris is clearly the exception not the rule.
"For 99.9% or more of users Bluetooth technology like headphones are absolutely fine for everyday use, said Nick Biasini, Head of Outreach for Cisco Talos, a cybersecurity firm."
"The question isn’t really about the risk factor associated with Bluetooth, but more about threat profile," Biasini said.