Security, Respite 1: The Car Whisperer

Submitted by Edward Marczak on Fri, 08/05/2005 - 15:00

Just when you think you've seen it all...

Many times I find that when someone believes that something isn't possible, they rule it out out altogether in their mind. The unfortunate side effect of this, in a security context, is that they then don't defend against it. "How can someone hack into my Mac? I'm running OS X! The most secure OS on the planet!" That's the person you have to watch out for. You always have to be on guard. To that effect, read this:

http://trifinite.org/trifinite_stuff_carwhisperer.html

This system is bluesnarfing on steroids. Based on the BlueTooth Rifle, The Car Whisperer allows one to pick up an audio stream from someone using a BlueTooth enabled mobile phone paired with a BlueTooth headset - from a distance, no less. Even more impressive, it will allow the operator to inject audio back into the stream.

This is all in thanks to the fact that to allow pairing, many BlueTooth providers use a common passkey. Would you believe that this key is typically either "0000" or "1234"?!?!? Unbelievable. (Didn't they see Spaceballs?)

Remember: just because you don't think it can be done, when it comes to security, that doesn't mean you shouldn't be on guard about it. The more unlikely you think a hacking/cracking scenario may be, the harder someone is at work on that exact problem.