Bluebugging

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What Does Bluebugging Mean?

Bluebugging is a technique that allows skilled hackers to access mobile commands on Bluetooth-enabled devices that are in discoverable mode.

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Bluebugging is similar to phone eavesdropping, or bugging.

Techopedia Explains Bluebugging

Because discoverable mode is a default setting, most Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones and devices are automatically vulnerable to bluebugging attacks. Certain tools – such as RedFang and BlueSniff – allow hackers to infiltrate Bluetooth-enabled devices that are not in discoverable mode.

Bluebugged devices are vulnerable to one or more of the following scenarios:

  • A device can be remotely controlled, which allows hackers to intercept or reroute communication.
  • Hackers may send and read text messages.
  • Hackers may place or monitor phone calls.
  • Hackers may do all of the above without leaving a trace.
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Margaret Rouse
Technology expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology expert

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.