There are many dangers to which our mobile devices are exposed and that can put them at risk . Some of them are related to the Bluetooth connection, more specifically when it is always activated.
If you need to have Bluetooth constantly activated or you activate it and forget to deactivate it when you no longer need it, or even if Bluetooth turns on only on your smartphone, we are going to give you the reasons why it is good that you rethink this habit or try to fix this problem.
What is Blue Jacking?
BlueJacking is an attack that can put the operation of the Bluetooth connection at risk, since through it the cybercriminal can send a message to another person without their consent using this technology.
If your Bluetooth connection is activated and within range of the possible attacker, you may be a victim of this vulnerability. What will happen is that the attacker detects your mobile after searching for nearby devices and sends you a message taking advantage of a Bluetooth function. You do not have to give permission for this and you will not be aware of what happens until what they have sent you arrives.
You have to keep in mind that this technology works at a maximum of 10 meters , up to 15, so you can be attacked if your smartphone has this active connection near a device that is at this distance. In the case of a laptop, the distance can be increased to 100 meters. It is an attack that usually occurs in shopping centers or places with a large influx of people, taking advantage of the number of people there.
How does this attack affect you?
Thus, the attacker can send you whatever he wants . Unsolicited advertising, business cards, messages or images. In addition, since the messages are anonymous, you will only see the name that the attacker has indicated, which does not have to be yours, and the device model.
You will not have any personal information about this person, who will send you what you want without you being able to do anything to avoid it. Unless you catch him red-handed, or he gives data in the communication itself, since he usually stays close to see your reaction. Obviously this has a limit and if he sees that it bothers you or you don’t want to know more, the usual thing is that he stops, and he only sends you something else if he sees that you are predisposed to it.
In itself it is a non-dangerous attack that will only be an annoyance for you. Sometimes not even that. It is something like SPAM , but through messages that reach you through Bluetooth. It will not affect your security or privacy, nor will they have access to your device at any time, as other attacks with this technology can.
Although it does not carry risks as a general rule nor is it an illegal practice in many countries, remember that you expose yourself to many dangers if you have Bluetooth always activated , so do not hesitate to take extreme precautions. It may also be that they send you an image with a link or access to a malicious website.
There are attacks related to it that are illegal and can harm you, but BlueJacking itself is usually harmless.
What can you do to prevent it?
These are the habits that you should have to avoid this type of attack as much as possible:
- Turn off the Bluetooth connection when you don’t use it
- Put your mobile in hidden, invisible or undetectable mode
- Do not access information that could be dangerous
- Update your device to keep it as secure as possible
- If you suspect, you can check if there is any device connected to your Bluetooth
- When in doubt, turn off Bluetooth