US Vice-President Kamala Harris Avoids Bluetooth Headphones, Because They're Risky
Something similar was also agreed upon by a security researcher on Twitter by the name of @SwiftOnSecurity, where he revealed that Bluetooth is turned on exposes the device for a variety of attacks.
A Twitter post highlighting how US Vice President, Kamala Harris, prefers using wired headsets instead of wireless ones that use Bluetooth as a cybersecurity risk.
Also Read: The Rise Of Bluetooth: The Forgotten Child Of Wireless Connectivity
Twitter
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This was followed by a report by Politico that mocked Harris¡¯s move, terming her ¡®Bluetooth-phobic¡¯. Yes, the rise of Bluetooth earphones over the last few years has no doubt sent wireless headphones going through the roof, and for good reason -- they're just so convenient to use and no more wire tangles to worry about.
But that doesn't mean they're the most secure. In fact, most buyers don't even factor in the cybersecurity risk of Bluetooth technology.
NEW: Kamala Harris has long felt that Bluetooth headphones are a security risk.
¡ª Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) December 6, 2021
So, she insists on using wired ones, 3 fmr campaign aides told @rubycramer and me.
That Bluetooth phobia remains (if you look closely, you'll see the clump of wires in hand)https://t.co/9poyMTQrU2 pic.twitter.com/HtscTWm1sF
With this context, US Vice President Kamala Harriss' fear and caution towards using Bluetooth accessories is totally justified. In fact, every world leader or a person of influence must be wary of using Bluetooth devices, especially headsets.
Bluetooth comes with a catch
Kamala Harris, unlike a common citizen, is actually the vice president of one of the most powerful nations of the world. By hierarchy, she is the second most powerful individual in the US government after President Joe Biden, making her a high-profile target.
And something similar was also agreed upon by a security researcher (highlighted by The Verge) on Twitter by the name of @SwiftOnSecurity, where he revealed that Bluetooth is turned on exposes the device for a variety of attacks.
If I was high-level government I wouldn't use Bluetooth either. It's not just the Bluetooth device or communications being insecure. The fact you have Bluetooth turned on exposes an obscure weirdo ancient firmware interface on your device for attack. Screw that.
¡ª SwiftOnSecurity (@SwiftOnSecurity) December 7, 2021
There are 459 current and historic Bluetooth vulnerabilities
According to the popular cybersecurity database CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), as of now, there exist 459 current and previous Bluetooth vulnerabilities.
Some like CVE-2021-34537 is a vulnerability that allows an elevation of privilege on a Windows system. On the other hand, CVE-2021-25472 vulnerability allows improper access control in BluetoothSettingsProvider prior to SMR Oct-2021 Release 1 that allows untrusted apps to overwrite some Bluetooth information.
Unsplash
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Some attacks crash devices of the victims via DoS or Denial of Service attacks where a device is constantly battered with connection requests, forcing the processor to overload and stop responding.
Even though Bluetooth vulnerabilities exist only in the range of a Bluetooth device, it has the potential of being equally harmful, and for a high-profile individual, any kind of security breach can cause catastrophes of great magnitude.
Would you once again make a switch to wired headsets? Tell us in the comments below and keep reading Indiatimes.com for the latest science and technology news.
