Phone users warned over Bluetooth risks

By Editorial Team (Friday, 21st September 2007)

Mobile customers have been made aware of the growing threat to the security of their phone posed by hackers looking to hijack their handset's Bluetooth function.

Szu-Khaim Ooi, senior security consultant at Symantec, said that a number of potential dangers for Bluetooth users have emerged in recent years, with the main security issues now known as 'bluejacking', 'bluesnarfing' and 'bluebugging'.

The most harmless of the three, bluejacking involves using Bluetooth to send anonymous messages to a phone and can be used for unsolicited advertising, rather like email spam, ZDNet.co.uk reports.

However, the process of bluesnarfing is altogether more serious, with hackers accessing information stored on a phone via its Bluetooth connection, while bluebugging actually allows a hacker to use the functions of a handset without the owner's knowledge or consent.

Commenting on the dangers, Mr Ooi said: "While none has done damage like some of the major PC malware, their rapid evolution presents an obvious cause for concern."

The security expert also gave mobile users four tips for personal Bluetooth safety: stay offline when you do not need the service, change the visibility setting to maintain your privacy, always verify incoming files and requests, and protect your device with the use of passwords.

According to a survey by Gfk NOP, 64 per cent of mobile users are unhappy about the amount of spam they receive on their handsets.

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