Bluebugging
Encyclopedia
Bluebugging is a form of bluetooth
attack often caused by a lack of awareness. It was developed after the onset of bluejacking
and bluesnarfing
. Similar to bluesnarfing, Bluebugging accesses and uses all phone features but is limited by the transmitting power of class 2 Bluetooth radios, normally capping its range at 10–15 meters. However, the operational range has been increased with the advent of directional antennas.
Bluebugging manipulates a target phone into compromising its security, this to create a backdoor attack before returning control of the phone to its owner. Once control of a phone has been established, it is used to call back the hacker who is then able to listen-in to conversations. The Bluebug program also has the capability to create a call forwarding application whereby the hacker receives calls intended for the target phone.
A further development of Bluebugging has allowed for the control of target phones through bluetooth phone headsets, It achieves this by pretending to be the headset and thereby "tricking" the phone into obeying call commands. Not only can a hacker receive calls intended for the target phone, he can send messages, read phonebooks, and examine calendars.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
attack often caused by a lack of awareness. It was developed after the onset of bluejacking
Bluejacking
Bluejacking is the sending of unsolicited messages over Bluetooth to Bluetooth-enabled devices such as mobile phones, PDAs or laptop computers, sending a vCard which typically contains a message in the name field to another bluetooth enabled device via the OBEX protocol.Bluetooth has a very...
and bluesnarfing
Bluesnarfing
Bluesnarfing is the unauthorized access of information from a wireless device through a Bluetooth connection, often between phones, desktops, laptops, and PDAs. This allows access to a calendar, contact list, emails and text messages, and on some phones users can copy pictures and private videos...
. Similar to bluesnarfing, Bluebugging accesses and uses all phone features but is limited by the transmitting power of class 2 Bluetooth radios, normally capping its range at 10–15 meters. However, the operational range has been increased with the advent of directional antennas.
History
Bluebugging was developed by the German researcher Martin Herfurt in 2004, one year after the advent of bluejacking. Initially a threat against laptops with bluetooth capability, it later targeted mobile phones and PDAs.Bluebugging manipulates a target phone into compromising its security, this to create a backdoor attack before returning control of the phone to its owner. Once control of a phone has been established, it is used to call back the hacker who is then able to listen-in to conversations. The Bluebug program also has the capability to create a call forwarding application whereby the hacker receives calls intended for the target phone.
A further development of Bluebugging has allowed for the control of target phones through bluetooth phone headsets, It achieves this by pretending to be the headset and thereby "tricking" the phone into obeying call commands. Not only can a hacker receive calls intended for the target phone, he can send messages, read phonebooks, and examine calendars.