iPhone Bluetooth Can Reveal Personal Information

Bluetooth icon

Trending security news today shows that iPhone Bluetooth can reveal some personal information like phone numbers.

Bluetooth

Security researchers analyzed iPhone Bluetooth to find out what goes on behind the scenes. Apple devices constantly send out packets using Bluetooth Low Energy. This is how Continuity works; A.K.A. How your Mac knows you have Safari open on your iPhone, for example.

These packets include such information like phone status, Wi-Fi status, buffer availability, iOS version, and more. The same is true for MacBooks, Apple Watch, and AirPods. When you send and receive data via AirDrop, your iPhone sends out a SHA256 hash of your phone number to devices around you when you tap Share.

Similar things happen when you enable Wi-Fi password sharing. SHA256 hashes of your phone number, Apple ID, and email. The researchers created videos to show how this works, and give examples of how attackers could exploit this behavior.

They say that this is more of a feature of how the ecosystem works, rather than a specific security vulnerability.

Further Reading:

[Future Apple Headphones Could Tell Which Ear They’re In]

[Apple Faces Another Lawsuit Over iPhone Throttling]

2 thoughts on “iPhone Bluetooth Can Reveal Personal Information

  • This is another reason to have Bluetooth turned off unless you actually need it/are using it at the time. Especially if you are in a public area! Same as having protection for your credit cards, so someone walking by with a “brief case” cannot just steal your CC info.

    The more convenient the technology, the more privacy and security issues there can be.

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