How to Protect Your Bluetooth Device From Hackers ?

by jaswanth (81) on September 15, 2009 | 1 Comment | 807 views

Our life is slowly being taken over by technology every body should aware of minimum usage of the technology. We use electronic banking, we all have mobile phones and at least one expensive portable device. According to InsightExpress uncovered that 75% of mobile device owners are in the dark about protecting their device and data from Bluetooth hackers.

If you fall into this bracket, listen up. There are three ways your gadget can be hacked:

Bluejacking – this is when people send unsolicited emails and messages to other Bluetooth devices, and although it is normally harmless this can provide a backdoor for fraudster to access your phone and take it over without your knowledge. In exactly you’ll start receiving unwanted spam text messages, which can send your monthly bill (and mental state) skyward.
Bluesnarfing – in which a hacker gains access to your data – and copies it for themselves. This is when a fraudster uses your Bluetooth connection to get into your cell phone or PDA to gain access to the personal information it contains such as your diary, calendar, text messages, contacts list etc…
Bluebugging – In fact this is the final situation to your mobile. Bluebugging is most disturbing situation. This is when your phone is taken over completely by another person via the Bluetooth connection, enabling them to listen in to you conversations, intercept your text messages and emails and use your phone to make their own calls and text messages.

Prevention methods are amazingly simple:

Turn off any Bluetooth features you’re not using.
Try to keep your device’s Bluetooth ID visibility setting at “hidden” so that another persons and hackers can’t scan and find it.
Use passwords with a lot of digits, say 10. The more digits, the longer it takes to crack, if at all.
Verify incoming transmission – Do not accept and run attachments from unknown sources unless you are expecting them. For example, if you receive a message to install an application and you don’t know its origin, don’t run it.