Harris’ concerns about using Bluetooth headsets are bound to call into question those less responsible than her vice president. Bluetooth is used by many people to connect earbuds, smartwatches, and all sorts of other devices to their phones and laptops. Turns out Veep was right. Cybersecurity experts say that high-profile politicians like Harris and other VIPs may wish to stay away from Bluetooth. Any connection that requires him to pair two devices in order to exchange data wirelessly can be hacked and the information transmitted can be compromised.
Vice President Kamala Harris has long worn wired headphones and used increasingly outdated technology to campaign and appear in the media. Her three of her former campaigners now tell Politico’s West Wing Playbook that she’s concerned about the security of her Bluetooth connection, which is required for use, so Harris says she won’t switch to Bluetooth headphones. According to an aide, whom Politico quoted on an anonymous basis, Harris prefers text messages to email for the same reason. It makes sense given the leaked communications from John Podesta.
Highlights
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In addition to the threat of eavesdropping, Kent said cybersecurity researchers were able to use her Bluetooth to exploit security flaws in some phones. We then extracted information, including corporate credentials. Chuck Everett, Deep Instinct’s head of cybersecurity advocacy, said it was a somewhat crude attack involving the use of Bluetooth scanning, essentially monitoring nearby devices emitting Bluetooth signals. says. For example, a common thief scans a car for his Bluetooth signal from a hidden electronic device, breaks windows and grabs the device.
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Clay Miller, chief technology officer at SyncDog, which specializes in mobile security, allows cybercriminals to use his Bluetooth connection to control devices and maliciously install code. It points out that the attack to This code allowed the hackers to eavesdrop on the phone in question and conversations taking place near it, turning the phone into a covert microphone. As a result, Cequence Security hacker Jason Kent said Harris was “just right” to be wary of Bluetooth headphones. “Every day she listens to conversations that could be used in her business.”
“Criminals love this technique because it gives them access not only to electronic devices, but also to wallets and briefcases that may be locked to the device,” said Everett. Of course, hacking a Bluetooth connection requires a criminal to be nearby. Such attacks are typically carried out within her Bluetooth range of about 30 feet. (Miller points out that some recorded attacks were carried out from 300 feet away, but those are outliers.) Getting that close to the Vice President isn’t easy.