Bluesnarfing

What Does Bluesnarfing Mean?

Bluesnarfing is a device hack performed when a wireless, Bluetooth-enabled device is in discoverable mode. Bluesnarfing allows hackers to remotely access Bluetooth device data, such as a user’s calendar, contact list, emails and text messages. This attack is perpetrated without the victim’s knowledge.

Techopedia Explains Bluesnarfing

Bluetooth-enabled devices are vulnerable to bluesnarfing attacks when in discoverable mode because hackers can respond to queries from other Bluetooth-enabled devices, thus gaining unauthorized access to information.

Most mobile phone discovery modes are activated by default. Unless the mode is deactivated, a device is susceptible to bluesnarfing attacks. The only way to fully protect a wireless device against bluesnarfing is to turn off Bluetooth. Keeping the phone in "invisible" mode provides some protection.

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Margaret Rouse

Technology Specialist

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.

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