The New Android Bluetooth Hack – How To Stay Protected
Published:
The latest in a line of recent Android vulnerabilities is a new hack that exploits the bluetooth feature on older Android versions. This newly-discovered flaw allows hackers to, in theory, easily connect to your device and steal any data they want. If you’re using Android on any device, then this is something you need to be aware of.
Affects mostly older versions
A research team from Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany found the bug that allows custom code to be injected to a device without the user’s knowledge.
It seems to only be affecting devices running Android 9 Pie or older. Luckily, this vulnerability was patched in Android 10.
Whilst that’s good news for some of us – because updating your phone to the latest version of Android is a simple fix – for those people who either can’t update because they’re on an older device or simply don’t want to update, it means that this is a very real threat to be aware of.
How to protect yourself
As mentioned above, the best way to stay protected is to simply update your device to the latest version of Android.
If you can, we strongly recommend that you do so – not only to protect you from this threat, but also to keep your phone safe from a wide range of vulnerabilities fixed in security patches.
Failing that, another simple way to stay protected is to just turn off Bluetooth when you’re out and about. Bluetooth is a short-range communication feature so any hacker would have to be in your vicinity – with the average Bluetooth range being around 100m. Yes, that means you might not want to use your Bluetooth headphones in the coffee shop if you are unable to update your OS. While this might seem inconvenient, in our opinion, it’s better to be safe than sorry until a fix is available for all devices.
Finally, we recently released Certo Mobile Security for Android – designed to help you stay protected against Malware being installed onto your device. This app can
scan your device and show you any potentially malicious software that has been installed. Any malware found can be deleted with a simple tap.
Free anti malware for Android
Certo Mobile Security crushes spyware, stops intruders and keeps you safe online.
Content writer for Certo Software and a fervent privacy advocate, Catherine marries her passion for technology with a deep commitment to cybersecurity. Her work is not only informative but also serves as a guidepost in our journey towards a safer digital world.