It's become my mantra that any new electronic convenience carries with it some inherent security risks. So it doesn't surprise me that the popularity of Bluetooth-enabled devices (everywhere these days--in laptops, printers, cell phones, and even new cars, such as the Toyota Prius; roughly 2 million Bluetooth-enabled products are shipped each week) tempts evildoers to ferret out Bluetooth weaknesses. A recent demonstration of attacks on mobile phones bears this out; more on this later. Should you be worried? Yes. Bluetooth attacks are sneaky and leave no trace. A digital thief could, for example, steal data from a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone or PDA in your shirt pocket or backpack or even eavesdrop on conversations in the vicinity of a compromised mobile phone without the victim knowing.

By Robert Vamosi at ZDNet.

[ Read more ]