Your computer, smartphone, wireless speakers and pretty much every tech item you purchased in the last five years has a major flaw.
They can be infected without effort. Thanks to Bluetooth.
BlueBorne, a new malware threat identified by the security firm Armis, exploits any device with Bluetooth turned on. It can, potentially, allow a hacker to take control of (and access) your device, as well as infect other Bluetooth-enabled devices.
As the security firm Armis notes: “BlueBorne allows attackers to take control of devices, access corporate data and networks, penetrate secure ‘air-gapped’ networks, and spread malware laterally to adjacent devices. Armis reported these vulnerabilities to the responsible actors, and is working with them as patches are being identified and released.”
The scary part? BlueBorne doesn’t have to pair with your hardware to infect it. The Bluetooth on your device simply has to be actively looking for connections, which it’s doing while it’s on.
If you an updated iOS device (10 or later), you’re fine. Otherwise, most Windows, Linux and Android devices are vulnerable.
Your solution?
Search online for your device any patches that have been released (Google and Microsoft have released some already).
Keep your Bluetooth off unless you’re using it.
Use Armis’s free Vulnerability Scanner if you have an Android device.
And recognize that it might not be a huge deal: As of now, there are no known attempts by hackers to exploit this vulnerability.
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