Bluebugging : Increase In Cybercrime
Concerned over an increase in instances of cybercrime, Andhra Pradesh police recently asked the people to be wary of “bluebugging.”
- It is a form of hacking that lets attackers access a device through its discoverable Bluetooth connection.
- Once a device or phone is bluebugged, a hacker can listen to the calls, read and send messages and steal and modify contacts.
- It started out as a threat for laptops with Bluetooth capability. Later hackers used the technique to target mobile phones and other devices.
- This attack is often limited due to the range of Bluetooth connections, which goes up to only 10 meters.
- Bluebugging attacks work by exploiting Bluetooth-enabled devices.
- The device’s Bluetooth must be in discoverable mode, which is the default setting on most devices.
- The hacker then tries to pair with the device via Bluetooth.
- Once a connection is established, hackers can use brute force attacks to bypass authentication.
- They can install malware in the compromised device to gain unauthorised access to it.
