TSYS School Faculty Trailblazers

Are Some Bluetooth Devices Actually Toothless?

TSYS School professors Yesem Peker and Alfredo Perez teamed with their former student Gabriel Bello to investigate the security features available in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) standards, particularly as they relate to wearable devices, such the Fitbit hear rate wristband and the Polar heart rate chest wearable, and a BLE keyboard.  Their investigation of the standards for short-distance wireless communication that are implemented in these three popular devices is published in a 2022 issue of Sensors.  Their approach, which uses both the ComProbe Bluetooth Protocol Analyzer and the ComProbe software to capture the BLE traffic of these three devices, reveals that even though the standards provide security mechanisms, because the Bluetooth Special Interest Group does not require that manufacturers fully comply with the standards, some manufacturers fail to implement proper security mechanisms.  According to Peker, “this circumvention of security in Bluetooth devices could leak private data that could be exploited by rogue actors and hackers, which creates security, privacy, and, possibly, safety issues for consumers and the public.”  Given the security concerns, the study offers some compelling policy recommendations.  “We propose the design of a Bluetooth Security Facts Label (BSFL) to be included on a Bluetooth or BLE enabled device’s commercial packaging in order to inform users about the security and privacy provisions of the devices they buy and use, and to educate the public on protection of their privacy when buying a connected device,” Perez added.