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What Is Bluesnarfing & How Does It Happen?

If you’ve been investigating the world of cybercrime, you may have come across the word “bluesnarfing” — and you probably thought it sounded a bit strange. So, what exactly is bluesnarfing and how does it happen?

Bluesnarfing is when someone connects their device to yours via a Bluetooth connection and then proceeds to steal your data. Bluesnarfing can be prevented by keeping your devices’ Bluetooth turned off when you’re not using it and by requiring authentication for all Bluetooth connections.

Bluesnarfing is a relatively new term, so don’t worry if you’re not familiar with it. Let’s take a closer look at the topic, so that you can keep your devices safe and secure.

What Is Bluesnarfing?

Professional hacker women Wearing a blue shirt with a hood Stealing data from online computer

Snarfing is a term used by computer programmers to indicate when someone copies a file or data over a network without permission. Bluesnarfing is when the same thing happens over a Bluetooth connection.

To put it in simpler terms, bluesnarfing is the theft of someone’s data using a Bluetooth connection.

Cybercriminals and people with malicious intentions can do this to any device that has a Bluetooth connection turned on, and the worst part is that the victim is usually entirely unaware that this is happening to their device.

Any device that has Bluetooth capabilities is susceptible to bluesnarfing. This includes computers, laptops, phones, tablets, and anything else you own that contains a bluetooth connection.

Once they get into your device using bluesnarfing, hackers have access to a plethora of potentially sensitive data. This data includes your contacts, text messages, saved passwords, and anything else available on your phone.

Bluesnarfing originated back in 2003 during the original security tests of Bluetooth devices, and it’s been outlawed in most countries since it’s a very clear and extreme invasion of the victim’s privacy.

How Does Bluesnarfing Happen?

Before we can get into how exactly bluesnarfing works, it’s important to have a basic understanding of Bluetooth connections. Devices with Bluetooth connectivity connect to each other using something called the Object Exchange Protocol, or the OBEX protocol.

Unfortunately, the OBEX protocol isn’t a completely secure process, and it has certain vulnerabilities that malicious parties can exploit. With these exploits, those same malicious parties can force a Bluetooth connection with an unknowing and unwilling device.

As we mentioned earlier, bluesnarfing was originally discovered in November of 2003 when security expert Adam Laurie was testing the vulnerability of Bluetooth devices.

Laurie proceeded to release a report detailing everything he knew about bluesnarfing. But how is it done?

The main way hackers can access your devices is through a program called Bluediving. Bluediving is a tool that can be used to identify vulnerable devices in the area.

Bluediving itself isn’t meant to be used to steal information; instead, it’s meant to be used to test the security of Bluetooth networks.

However, once potential hackers use Bluediving to identify insecure Bluetooth connections, they use a homemade tool that allows them to access the vulnerable devices. From there, they can use their access to download data like emails, text messages, and anything else they determine to be of value.

How to Prevent Bluesnarfing

So, now that we have a good understanding of what bluesnarfing is and how it works, how are you supposed to prevent it? Thankfully, the main solution is rather simple: Keep the Bluetooth on your devices off when you’re not using it.

The most common victims of bluesnarfing attacks are people that keep the bluetooth on their devices on at all times. By simply turning this feature off when you’re not using it, you’ll greatly decrease the likelihood of being bluesnarfed.

Another good step to take is to require approval for all connections. If your device doesn’t do this by default, you should definitely look into whether or not you can activate it in the device settings.

This will eliminate the potential of bluesnarfing entirely — if you don’t accept the connection, the hacker’s device won’t be able to connect to yours.

It’s also worth mentioning that as time has gone on, bluesnarfing attacks have become less and less common. This is due to more recent devices having better security settings. For example, most modern devices require you to accept a bluetooth connection rather than just automatically connecting.

What’s the Difference Between Bluejacking and Bluesnarfing?

Boy Stealing Data From Multiple Computers

When it comes to unwanted Bluetooth connections, there are two primary techniques: bluejacking and bluesnarfing. But what’s the difference between them?

As you’ve just learned, bluesnarfing is when hackers connect to your device and steal its data, and bluejacking is almost the exact opposite. When someone bluejacks your device, they connect to it via Bluetooth and then place data onto your device.

Just like bluesnarfing, bluejacking can be prevented by turning off your device’s Bluetooth connection when you’re not using it. This will prevent any unwanted Bluetooth connections.