Having bluetooth always on is a bad idea: these are the reasons

Bluetooth is a protocol that has become practically indispensable since it is used to connect the mobile phone with other devices such as watches, speakers or the car stereo. The question many ask is: should it be left on all the time?

This system that works via a radio frequency link in the 2.4 GHz band. Its latest version is 5.2 and is optimized to save battery, as well as improve security and maintain stability. However, keeping it turned on can have negative consequences.

It doesn’t matter if you use it, having it turned on can pose a serious risk. Even if it’s in the background, it will still work. Also, this can facilitate some attacks by hackers who manage to exploit a bug.

For that to happen, it doesn’t even need to be connected to any other device. The interface itself is responsible for sending the UUID or universally unique identifier, which is how a lighthouse for other devices.

The thing to keep in mind is that sometimes vulnerabilities arise. These are security flaws that can be used by hackers to execute different types of attacks.

Through a BlueSnarfing attack, a hacker could receive data from the device with personal information and ultimately any data that could be used to trick the victim. It is definitely a dangerous method as it seriously compromises your privacy and security.

However, there could be a further danger, and it would be that of the Man-in-the-Middle, a classic telecommunications attack that consists of a user interfering with the connection between two devices. This can see what is sent and, in the worst case, change it.

The most dangerous thing about these attacks, as well as obviously posing a danger to the device owner’s information, is the fact that they can spread from one device to another so that they can not only steal information or take control of the device from the affected first, but can also spread to devices it interacts with later.

A constant threat

The risk is even greater if the phone is not protected with authentication keys or other layers, which, depending on the level of restriction adopted, can crash any hacking attempt.

Weeks ago, security flaws were discovered in Apple’s AirDrop technology. Indeed, through the use of this data transmission technology, which is also based on Bluetooth, hackers can determine your phone number.

Ultimately, keeping Bluetooth turned on can expose you to potential privacy violations, hacking, and abuse. At the moment, the only effective solution is the simplest one: deactivate it once it has been unpaired from the device in question.

“Regardless of the device’s security features, the only way to completely prevent attackers from initiating the process of requesting/accepting permissions is to turn off the device’s Bluetooth function when not in use,” say from Kaspersky Labs.

Plus, having it turned off can have other benefits like saving battery life and reducing the risk of Bluetooth being mistakenly paired with another device, increasing the chance of an attack.