Mobile phones, speakers, headphones – Bluetooth is used on many devices, usually to get files or music from A to B. But what exactly is Bluetooth and how secure is it?
Harald ‘Bluetooth’ Gormsson was once a king of Denmark and Norway. Over a thousand years after he famously united the tribes of Denmark into one kingdom is remembered in a wireless technology standard that unites devices to exchange data: Bluetooth.
It’s particularly suitable for connecting wireless accessories such as headphones, keyboards or smartwatches to smartphones or computers.
“Bluetooth is reliable and quite energy efficient so it has only a small impact on the battery life of the smartphone,” says tech reporter Ronald Eikenberg.
By using the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) standard, power consumption can be further reduced, something that’s particularly useful in the case of devices with small batteries such as smartwatches.
The first Bluetooth standard was released twenty years ago. The current version is 5.0. Over time, susceptibility to interference has been reduced and range and speed improved. But are all versions compatible with each other?
“Basically, Bluetooth is backwards compatible, but with Bluetooth Low Energy there is an important exception,” Eikenberg says. “If a smartphone does not support BLE, it will never be able to communicate with smartwatches or fitness trackers that only use BLE.”
Bluetooth 5.0 is slowly becoming established on smartphones. It’s capable of data transmission for up to 200 metres if there are no obstructions and transmission speed has been significantly improved.
“A focus of the new standard is on lower energy consumption,” says trade specialist Michael Knott. “The benefits of Bluetooth 5 are less focused on smartphones or headphones and more on the Internet of Things.” Those include smart home devices such as networked thermostats or robot vacuum cleaners.
However, even Bluetooth 5.0 can’t match wi-fi when it comes to bandwidth. “As a result, large files such as high-resolution photos or videos take longer to transfer via Bluetooth,” Knott says.
In terms of data security, Bluetooth is generally safe because the connection between two devices is encrypted. The only chance a hacker would have to launch an attack is the brief moment when devices are connecting to each other – and the hacker would have to be within radio range to do that.
“Since a connection between two devices is performed only once and takes a maximum of a few seconds, it is highly unlikely that you will be attacked via this Bluetooth vulnerability,” Eikenberg says.
Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) recommends the timely installation of manufacturer-supplied security updates to address any Bluetooth vulnerabilities. dpa
The BSI also recommends only activating Bluetooth and other communication standards such as wi-fi when they’re needed. The rest of the time they should be switched off. – dpa
