A recent report revealed that Android and Windows devices have a vulnerability in them through their Bluetooth connectivity. The vulnerability is said to affect over a billion devices around the world, particularly the ones with a Bluetooth chip firmware produced by Qualcomm, Intel, Silicon Labs, and many others.
The report shares that 11 vendors have already been accused of designing their firmware with this particular flair. As of this writing, 13 circuit boards produced by these vendors have already been infiltrated. Despite this, as much as 1,400 different systems-on-a-chip (on mobile and laptop devices) are vulnerable to these kinds of exploits called “BrakTooth hacks.”
What this means is that if you are using any of these Android and Windows devices, you could be vulnerable to BrakTooth hacks. Only three SoC manufacturers have issued a patch to prevent future BrakTooth hacks. These manufacturers are Infineon, Expressif, and BluTrum. The other eight have not yet addressed the issue.
While we’re still waiting for these manufacturers to release a patch, it’s important to know how you can safeguard your device. One way you can do this is to keep your Bluetooth turned off so you do not encounter such attacks. You can start using your Bluetooth connection again once your manufacturer has released a firmware patch.
Some of the devices discovered to be exposed to BrakTooth hacking include the following:
Smartphones:
Pocophone F1
Oppo Reno 5G
And many more
Dell Laptops:
Alienware
Optiplex
And many more
Microsoft Surface Devices:
Surface Book 3
Surface Go 2
Surface Pro 7
And many more
While Bluetooth vulnerabilities aren’t entirely new, this type of vulnerability can be blamed entirely on the Bluetooth chip firmware. This is because the actual Bluetooth standard is exposed to certain infiltration.
Hopefully, the mentioned SoC manufacturers will release a firmware patch soon.
Source: PhoneArena
