Wireless headphones that use Bluetooth have cybersecurity risks, experts said. Here’s what has them concerned.
On Monday, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris was photographed using wired headphones connected to a phone as she boarded Air Force Two.
This is not the first time Harris has been photographed using wired headphones. In her famous “We did it, Joe” call to President Joe Biden about their 2020 victory over Donald Trump, Harris is seen holding a pair of wired headphones in one hand. In fact, she has done several television interviews and official videos wearing wired headphones.
In 2021, Politico offered some insight into Harris’ headphones preference, reporting that she “has long felt that Bluetooth headphones are a security risk” and “insists on using wired headphones” as a result, according to three anonymous former campaign aides. (HuffPost reached out to Harris’ office about her wired headphone use but has not received a response.)
Now, we might not know exactly why Harris relies on wired headphones. But if it’s because of security risks, she is right to be distrustful of Bluetooth devices, according to cybersecurity experts.
Why Bluetooth headphones have security risks.
Bluetooth transmits data through the air within a certain range, which makes it inherently vulnerable to nearby threats, said security architect and certified ethical hacker Maril Vernon. She said it was “intelligent” of Harris to use wired headphones.
″[Harris’] physical connection is a lot more secure because it eliminates the risk of the wireless signal being intercepted, and there’s pretty much no opportunity for an attacker to eavesdrop on her conversation if she’s using the device and the headphones, unless they were standing right next to her and they could physically hear through her headphones, or they compromised her mobile device,” Vernon said.
If Harris did use Bluetooth headphones, there would be more risk for someone being able to listen in on her calls through a hacked connection, Kevin Johnson, CEO of the consultancy Secure Ideas and a hacker hired by companies to test their own security vulnerabilities, explained.
“If you are elected to be the vice president of the United States, then yes … stop using Bluetooth entirely,” he said.
Very few of us will be entrusted with state secrets that we need to keep private, but you’re likely to be one of the estimated billions who use a Bluetooth-enabled device. So should you follow Harris’ lead and stick to wired headphones?
The good news is that unless you’re a presidential nominee who is a high-profile target for hackers, you’re OK to keep using your wireless headphones — as long as you take some cautionary steps.
How to be safer when using Bluetooth headphones and other devices.
Both of the cybersecurity experts that talked with HuffPost use Bluetooth-enabled headphones in their everyday lives. But they also follow a few security protocols to make their listening experience safer in public spaces. Here’s how:
1. Don’t leave your Bluetooth on 24 hours a day.
Break your habit of leaving your Bluetooth setting on all the time. As the Federal Communications Commission warns on its website, “Keeping it active enables hackers to discover what other devices you connected to before, spoof one of those devices, and gain access to your device.”
Switching off your Bluetooth when you’re not actively using it will “minimize the window of opportunity for attackers to attempt to connect to or interfere with your connection to your devices,” Vernon said.
For example, she suggested turning off your Bluetooth setting when you take breaks from listening to your audiobook or music.
Also, be conscious of the number of strangers around you when you toggle back on your Bluetooth setting. Make sure “you’re very close to the device you want to connect to, and you’re not around other people,” Vernon advised, noting that the more distance you have from other people, the more secure you are when connecting.
When possible, connect your phone to your Bluetooth headphones in the privacy of your home before you leave versus public settings like an airport or on board a plane, she added.
2. Do regular checks of what devices are paired to your Bluetooth connection.
Bluetooth-enabled devices can connect to your phone or car in a process known as “pairing.” But too many of us forget to “unpair” our devices after we are done using Bluetooth. And that’s a big security risk.
“So many people connect to their friend’s car one time to play music and never, ever go and remove their friend’s car [from their list of paired devices],” Vernon said. Now that your mobile device and your friend’s car are connected, they can become reconnected “at any time if you get close to that device.”
Sure, it’s fine if it’s your friend, but worrisome if it’s someone you do not trust.
“Any Bluetooth device has the potential of sharing data that you don’t realize it has,” Johnson said. “So you have to think about all the devices that you connect and use.”
Take the example of renting a car and using your phone’s Bluetooth capabilities to listen to music or make hands-free calls. Don’t forget to unpair your phone and “configure everything to forget that device” from the rented car after you return it, Johnson advised. If you don’t clear this data, someone can gain access to your phone contacts and conversations in worst-case scenarios.
3. Use modern Bluetooth versions and do software updates.
Bluetooth has gone through several iterations in the past 10 years. Most modern headphones, like second-generation AirPods, use Bluetooth 5.0 or newer. But you should check what the supported Bluetooth version is on your devices by looking up the specifications for your device. Johnson said if you bought Bluetooth-enabled headphones in the last five or six years, you are likely using modern Bluetooth.
“Make sure that you’re not using something you bought off of Amazon that is using Bluetooth version three, which is not as encrypted as Bluetooth version five,” Vernon said.
Additionally, do not ignore firmware updates for the phone you pair your wireless headphones with. These software update requests from your device manufacturer are not sent to annoy you, with Vernon explaining that “usually what they’re trying to eliminate is remote code execution and people connecting to your device without your permission.”
4. Make it a little harder for people to guess which device is yours.
Are your AirPods, iPhone and iPad all currently identified by your real name? If so, you should reconsider this, Vernon said. When your Bluetooth setting is on, your devices are discoverable, and they can reveal personal details like your name or your children’s names that you would rather strangers in your proximity not know.
Vernon recommended naming your device “something weird, so no one can correlate it to you,” and noted that it doubles as “an added layer of security.”
She gave the example of giving your Bluetooth-enabled device a random name that is not yours, so that way hackers have “less information to work with.”
Bluetooth has made it convenient for us to stay connected to our music, friends and so much more while we are on the go, and unless you have a job that has highly sensitive information, you don’t have to give up that ease of convenience altogether. Just remember to follow these steps to avoid broadcasting your personal data for strangers to find and see.
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