The last time we talked about Bluetooth was in reference to Braktooth, a very dangerous vulnerability. This would lead to our smartphone (or any device in general) over 16 problems. But today let's talk about another one vulnerability of Bluetooth technology which, however, does not have a name. Although it doesn't, we know what the problems it causes are: the detection of the position of the smartphone and therefore, ours too.
A vulnerability in Bluetooth technology would be able to detect the location of a smartphone and therefore of a user. Attention!
Researchers from the University of California at San Diego published a relationship about an unusual feature of Bluetooth technology. As it turned out, it is possible identify a user's smartphone with great accuracy even without hacking, simply by “reading” the individual characteristics of its Bluetooth signal.
According to the study authors, the vulnerability is found on devices that use the technology Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), designed to reduce the power consumption of mobile devices. By transferring data over a low-bandwidth channel, BLE allows you to constantly use a smartphone with the technology enabled. All this, without fearing a significant reduction in battery life.
But how does this vulnerability work? The signal from a wireless transmitter is unique to almost all mobile devices. This feature is usually used to find a smartphone if it is lost or stolen, but it also allows intruders to locate its owner. For example, during the Google Pixel 5 test, identification accuracy was 100%, while on other smartphones the authors of the experiment found only 5% of false results.
Thus, attackers can always determine when the user leaves the house and where he is at any given time. Even if you get lost in the crowd, you can also identify the device's location as the location would be better than GPS. The only way to eliminate this vulnerability on a device is to disable the Bluetooth module.
Through | PhoneArena
Cover image | NordVPN
