Bluetooth seems like a minor tool to facilitate data transfer but it can be the easiest door for hackers to get to your device. Bluetooth enables devices to link with each other over very short distances. The adoption of IoT products along with AirPods and smartwatches has widened the use-case of Bluetooth these days. Your phone needs to continuously broadcast data packets to communicate with these devices. In doing so, you must always turn on your Bluetooth and exchange the packets. Hackers can take advantage of your Bluetooth connection to gain access to your device and perform malicious actions. That is why, you should always keep knowledge of some tips to keep your bluetooth secure.
There are mainly two ways they can hack your device via Bluetooth. The first one is Bluesnarfing and the other one is known as Bluebugging. Bluesnarfing enables hackers to access your phone within Bluetooth distance (approx, 300 feet). Hackers can access contact information, emails, photos, passwords, and other sensitive information with this attack. Bluebugging is a bit serious than Bluesnarfing. It enables hackers to install a backdoor on your phone with which he/she gains absolute control over your phone. And, they even can operate outside the Bluetooth range.
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Here are some tips to keep your bluetooth secure –
1. Turn off your Bluetooth if you don’t need it
Many people forget to turn Bluetooth off afterwards. If you leave your Bluetooth turned on, it will keep looking for a device within a range to connect. Hackers can grab the opportunity and connect malicious devices to your phone. Turning off your Bluetooth Connection is the best way to prevent hackers from infecting your device through Bluetooth.
2. Change Bluetooth visibility To “Not Discoverable”
Your device provides an option called Bluetooth visibility in Bluetooth settings. It allows you to toggle between ‘Always Visible’ and ‘Not Discoverable’. By default, the option ‘Always Visible’ is turned on but you should change it to ‘Not Discoverable’. With this, hackers can’t find out the presence of your device even if it is within the range.
3. Be careful while pairing
Hackers may continuously send spammy pairing requests to your device. If you accidentally pair your device with theirs, you can be in danger. Therefore, you should always be careful while accepting pairing requests and only accept requests from the devices you’re intending to share files with.
4. Do not forget to unpair
After you finished the transfer process with a particular device, you should always unpair that device to avoid unintentional Bluetooth connection in the future. Hackers can use the same device to establish a Bluetooth connection in the future and harm you.
5. Update your device regularly
Regularly Updating your device generally eliminates the risk of being hacked by 70%. Software updates patch the known vulnerabilities and repair security flaws as well as fix bugs which keep hackers out of your device.
Also Read: Top 5 Data Recovery Apps To Recover Deleted Files from your Phone
You should keep all of your devices updated regularly and also get rid of older IoT devices that you no longer use. If you turn your Bluetooth off when not in use and only pair with the right device. By following these basic tips, you can safeguard your phone from being hacked through Bluetooth.
