CYBERSECURITY: Although Google has been made aware of the Bluetooth flaw in its Android operating system, no corrective updates are available yet
A new Bluetooth vulnerability exposes Android smartphones to potential hacker attacks. Last February, a significant vulnerability had already been identified in Android’s Bluetooth protocol. Exploited, this new security flaw would allow hackers to get their hands on the personal data of their victims saved on their phone. A discovery that we owe to a team of Chinese researchers.
The security breach called BlueRepli by DBAPPSecurity researchers would indeed allow ill-intentioned people to connect to a smartphone via Bluetooth, without the owner of the phone noticing it or without any action on his part. the part is necessary.
The vulnerability in question means that a hacker could bind to a smartphone without having to go through the Bluetooth connection validation step. The hacker could indeed ensure that his device is recognized as already paired by the target smartphone. He could thus steal the SMS and the contacts of his victim.
A risk that is difficult to escape
Unlike a malicious application, it is not possible to uninstall Bluetooth which is available on all smartphones, as well as other connected devices. This is why a flaw in this protocol represents a significant risk. Especially since it concerns a large number of smartphones.
If Google has been made aware of the problem, no corrective update is available yet. In the meantime, it might be better to turn off your Bluetooth and keep an eye on your smartphone’s software updates. It will be remembered all the same that to connect to a device via a Bluetooth connection, you have to be relatively close to your target, which limits – but does not exclude – the risks of piracy.