What Is Bluesnarfing?

Bluesnarfing is a type of hacking attack that uses a Bluetooth connection to gain access and steal data from a wireless device.

Bluetooth® is a high-speed, close-range wireless technology that allows data to be exchanged between devices, such as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and desktop computers. Although Bluetooth technology has a huge range of useful applications, it has historically been associated with certain data security vulnerabilities.

In a bluesnarfing attack, a cybercriminal or hacker gains access to the data on a victim’s phone. This is possible when the targeted phone has Bluetooth turned on and is “discoverable,” meaning that nearby devices can locate and pair with it. The hacker exploits vulnerabilities within the target device’s object exchange (OBEX) protocol, which is used to exchange information between devices and is an essential component of Bluetooth.

To pull off this type of attack, a hacker pairs his or her mobile phone with the victim’s phone, allowing the hacker to access and download the data from the paired phone. This is typically carried out with a utility such Bluediving, which identifies susceptibilities in nearby devices. Experienced programmers can create their own bluesnarfing tools, download one from the dark web, or even hire someone else to carry out the attack.

Typically, the hacker’s aim is to steal sensitive data from the targeted phone, such as emails, text messages, contact lists, calendar entries, passwords, photos, or videos. In some cases, the hacker can even alter the data stored on the target device. In a bluesnarfing attack, the owner of the target phone is usually unaware that anything has happened to his or her device.

Unless the hacker has specialized equipment, he or she must be within 30 feet (10 m) of the victim’s phone for the attack to succeed. “Bluesniping” is a type of bluesnarfing in which the hacker uses equipment to increase the range of the paired phone, allowing it to attack devices that are located farther away than the standard Bluetooth range.

Phones that are “discoverable” are the most likely to become victims of a bluesnarfing attack, as this allows a hacker to locate the phone’s media access control (MAC) address.

The only way to completely eliminate the risk of a bluesnarfing attack is by turning off Bluetooth, because the hacker will not be able to access the connection. However, there are some other ways to drastically reduce the likelihood of a bluesnarfing attack.

Bluesnarfing, bluejacking, and bluebugging are all cyber attacks that can be carried out on Bluetooth-compatible devices, but they have some significant differences in their goals and implementation.

Bluesnarfing is sometimes confused with bluejacking, which is another type of Bluetooth hacking. The main difference between bluejacking and bluesnarfing is that the former involves the transmission of data to the targeted device, whereas the latter involves data theft.

Bluejacking typically entails sending unsolicited messages or advertisements to the target device and is regarded as less serious than bluesnarfing. It is far easier to carry out a bluejacking attack than a bluesnarfing attack, and was frequently used in the early days of Bluetooth as a practical joke.

Bluebugging is a type of attack that goes beyond the data theft inherent in bluesnarfing. In a bluebugging attack, the hacker actively seizes control of the features of the targeted device, such as making phone calls, setting up call forwarding, or sending text messages. Bluebugging allows the hacker to eavesdrop on phone calls without the victim being aware that his or her phone has been “bugged.”

Although the idea of becoming the victim of a bluesnarfing attack sounds scary, the good news is that Bluetooth security has significantly improved since the early 2000s. In most cases, setting your phone to “hidden” or “non-discoverable” offers valuable protection against potential hackers.