The security firm Armis has now uncovered a set of eight exploits that allow you to compromise the connections of virtually any Bluetooth device. This new attack vector has been called BlueBorne, and can affect any device you use, both smartphones and laptops or IoT devices.
BlueBorne and the Bluetooth vulnerability
The attack does not require the victim to interact with the attacking device. This actually means they can take control of your device without having to connect to any particular site with it.
Simply put, you have Bluetooth enabled so an attacker can connect to your device without you noticing to infect it with the malware you want. This means that a device infected with BlueBorne can infect anyone else who has Bluetooth enabled around them, and then once a device is infected these can propagate in turn and unintentionally malware.
This vulnerability is a clear example of the security challenges that are facing the new technologies. We are living in the «all connected» times, a trend that will continue with the Internet of Things, so vulnerabilities like BlueBorne can affect millions of devices at the same time.