RE: Wireless device vulnerability?

From: J Edgar Hoover (zorchat_private)
Date: Mon Mar 25 2002 - 11:56:49 PST

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    On Mon, 25 Mar 2002, Toni Heinonen wrote:
    
    > I wonder what you mean. Are you talking about a network
    > infrastructure? After all, isn't the idea of Bluetooth that you have
    > two devices, such as a laptop and a mobile phone, that are
    > interconnected with Bluetooth transceivers instead of, say, a serial
    > cable?
    
    In the context of a simple serial cable, range is the most important
    variable.
    
    It would be cheaper to deny connections with a range of more than a few
    feet within a given perimeter than to deny connections of only a few
    inches.
    
    > But that doesn't sound anything like Bluetooth. Bluetooth is meant for
    > personal area networks, whereas the network you describe is a wide
    > area mobile phone network with data capabilities.
    
    At $5 a pop for bluetooth chips, wouldn't it be tempting to put one on
    each telephone pole? Or scatter them around a building?
    
    As it is currently being used, to connect say a PDA to a phone, a person
    with a $5 device in their pocket could probably prevent a person with a
    $300 PDA in their hand from talking to the $200 phone in their pocket.
    
    In the context of most of the off-list mail I've received, it is even
    easier to tape a small cheap device under a co-worker's desk.
    
    > Indeed. I assume the technology was proprietary? When it comes to
    > Bluetooth, I think the cipher and underlying encryption infrastructure
    > is sound (as sound as WLANs were before they were deployed :)
    
    Bingo. :)
    



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