ISSN: 2312-7694
Vincent et al, / International Journal of Computer and Communication System Engineering (IJCCSE), Vol. 2 (4), 2015, 608-613
608 | Page
© IJCCSE All Rights Reserved Vol. 02 No.04 June 2015 www.ijccse.com
Blue bugging Java Enabled Phones via Bluetooth
Protocol Stack Flaws
Vincent N. Omollo
School of Telecommunication and Information
Engineering
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and
Technology
Nairobi, Kenya
S. Musyoki
Department of Telecommunication and Information
Engineering
Technical University of Kenya
Nairobi, Kenya
Abstract - The Bluetooth technology derives its name from a
tenth-century king of Denmark and Norway, Harald Blaatand ,
who amalgamated many sovereign Scandinavian tribes into a
single kingdom. It is an open standard for short-range radio
frequency communication that has been used principally to
establish wireless personal area networks. This technology has
been incorporated into many types of business and consumer
devices. Such devices include cell phones, laptops, automobiles,
printers, keyboards, mice, and headsets. The Bluetooth
technology permits users to form ad hoc networks between an
extensive assortment of devices to convey voice and data. It is a
low-cost, low-power technology that provides a means for
creating small wireless networks on an ad hoc basis. These
networks are known as piconets. This is composed of two or
more Bluetooth devices in close physical proximity that operate
on the same channel using the same frequency hopping sequence.
In spite of the Bluetooth merits, due to its wireless nature, this
technology is potentially vulnerable to many attacks. This is due
to the fact that it is very intricate to circumvent Bluetooth signals
from trickling outside the desired borders. The feasible damage
of a successful wireless attack begins with the ability to snoop on
the data transferred during the communication of two devices,
and ends with the ability to fully mimic other devices. In this
paper, the researchers demonstrate how to hack a mobile phone,
determine its address, communications channel for
communication with the headset and other functional profiles,
the RFCOMM channel, and phone settings information.
Index Terms- Protocol, Bluetooth, WPANs, pairing, cell phones
I. INTRODUCTION
Bluetooth technology operates in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz to
2.4835 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM)
frequency band [1]. It employs frequency hopping spread
spectrum (FHSS) technology for data transmissions. The
frequency hopping reduces interference and transmission
errors but provides minimal transmission security [2]. With
this technology, communications between Bluetooth devices
use 79 different 1 megahertz (MHz) radio channels by
hopping frequencies about 1,600 times per second for
data/voice links and 3,200 times per second during page and
inquiry scanning. A channel is used for a very short period,
followed by a hop to another channel designated by a pre-
determined pseudo-random sequence. This process is
repeated continuously in the frequency hopping sequence.
The Bluetooth initialization procedures consist of the
following phases: creation of an initialization key; creation
of a link key; and authentication [1]. After the pairing steps
are completed, the devices can derive an encryption key to
hide all future communication in an optional fourth step.
Before the pairing process can begin, the PIN code must be
entered into both Bluetooth devices. In some devices such
as wireless earphones, the PIN is fixed and cannot be
changed. In such cases, the fixed PIN is entered into the
peer device. If two devices have a fixed PIN, they cannot be
paired, and therefore cannot communicate [3]. Figure 1
demonstrates the pairing process.
During the pairing process, the Slave devices, such as
headset, keyboard connects with master devices, such as
phones and laptops, in which device IDs are passed and a
number of keys are generated. The pairing process normally
entails some level of user interaction, for example, entering
a PIN, which is the foundation for confirming the identity of
the devices. Due to the user interaction, the PIN is not
transmitted over the wireless channel. An initialization key
is then generated from the PIN. The initialization key is
used to concur upon a link key, which is based on the type
of communication desired. The link key is then used to
generate the encryption key [4].