تهدیدات امنیتی در تکنولوژی بلوتوث Security threats in bluetooth technology

1. Introduction From the very inception of the network and communication era, wires have been used to exchange data. Bluetooth is one of the solutions to a wireless communication. First invented in 1994 and ever since then it has been a popular technology, primarily due to being a cost free technology. Since Bluetooth use unlicensed ISM band, it does not require any regulatory authority and consumes very limited power. Moreover, Bluetooth is an automated technology that requires no extra setup to initiate a communication. Devices of different manufacturers and models can easily communicate without any compatibility error through Bluetooth. People can easily share files, photos, music, videos, etc. through Bluetooth. For all these reasons Bluetooth is a well preferred and frequently used technology. Bluetooth technology is available nearly in every phone, tablet, PDA, laptop, gaming console, smart card reader and many other electronic gadgets. However, Bluetooth is prone to several attacks and malware infections. Attacks may steal, alter or delete sensitive data (such as personal photos, videos, banking information, credit card numbers, text messages, calendar schedule, email messages, contact information, etc.) from the device, cause financial loss, eavesdrop communication, gain full control of the device, track and manipulate the activities of the victim. DoS attacks may paralyze the device and may also drain out the battery very quickly. Malware infection may corrupt the system, infect files, steal personal information, cause financial damages by sending SMS, MMS or forwarding call. Therefore, security of Bluetooth communication is very crucial. Bluetooth technology has some vulnerabilities. A group of wireless devices may connect to one another via Bluetooth technology in an ad-hoc fashion [1], thereby forming a piconet. Here, the network topology may change dynamically due to the movement of the devices inside the piconet [2]. In ad-hoc networks, centralized security management system is absent. The frequency hopping sequence of a piconet can be determined through the use of inexpensive tool kit and free open source software [3]. Moreover, every Bluetooth device has a unique Bluetooth device address. Using this address a certain Bluetooth Device can be identified, tracked and monitored [2]. All these facts together make Bluetooth devices vulnerable to attackers and malware. As a result, the security of Bluetooth is skeptical.