through h4x0r3d's eyes

Legislature a lesson in wireless insecurity | greatfallstribune.com | Great Falls Tribune

HELENA — It’s a common, everyday sight at the Capitol: Lawmakers and lobbyists standing in the hallways talking into their wireless Bluetooth headsets, and people in suits furiously typing on their laptops and iPads on the benches outside committee rooms. 

 Most people who work at the Capitol go about their business without giving a second thought to the smartphones, laptops and iPads that seem to be ubiquitous during the Legislature. 

 But when computer security expert and hacker Brad Smith strolls through the Capitol, he sees endless opportunities to steal address books and sensitive data — and even listen-in on phone calls. 

 “Most people have no idea that once they send their data in the air, I can just reach out and grab it,” said Smith, director of Helena’s Computer Institute of the Rockies. 

 Smith is a hacker, but he’s a “white hat” hacker as opposed to a “black hat” hacker. In other words, he’s one of the good guys. Smith, who also is a registered nurse, focuses much of his professional energy on teaching people how to protect themselves in the digital realm. He also is the director of the National Cyber Defense Force, a group of hackers and security experts who provide security for individuals and businesses in cyberspace. 

 Smith’s latest focus is on security threats associated with Bluetooth and wireless devices.

Bluetooth is the technology that connects cell phones to wireless headsets, computers to wireless printers, etc.

Smith said the proliferation of portable digital devices that use radio waves to transfer data has opened the door to new threats from hackers, and most Bluetooth and wireless Internet users have no idea they are at risk.

“We call them unguided media. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, RFID (radio frequency identification) chips — those are radio transmitters,” Smith said. “Who says I can’t get an antenna, plug it into my computer, and then use programs that will connect to your phone and then pull the information back off of it? People are using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi willy-nilly, and it’s wide open.”

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All a hacker needs to easily access about half of the Bluetooth-enabled smartphones and computers found around the Capitol is a laptop or netbook, a $2.99 USB Bluetooth adapter available over the Internet from China, and free hacking software readily available online.

Smith demonstrated this vulnerability to the Tribune earlier this week. He plugged an external Bluetooth antenna device into his tiny netbook computer. He then booted up hacking software that could read nearby Bluetooth signals and determine whether or not the device was secure. He then slipped the computer into a small leather briefcase and hid the antenna in the sleeve of his jacket.

Smith then walked around the Capitol, stopping on occasion near groups of people in the hallways. As he was unassumingly strolling through the building, his computer was busy scanning for Bluetooth-enabled devices.

It’s important to note that Smith didn’t actually do any hacking. Instead, he was “passive scanning,” or reading information about the Bluetooth signal, which is legal. If he used the data he collected to actually access someone’s personal digital device, that would be an illegal activity.

During a 30-minute walk around the building during a relatively slow day at the Capitol, Smith’s computer registered seven phones and three Apple MacBooks that had unsecured Bluethooth signals, and eight cell phones that were not as easily hackable. That’s not counting the phones he passed by too quickly for his computer to scan the signal.

So why would a hacker want to hack your phone?

Chances are, he or she wouldn’t, Smith said.

But the cell phone of a politician or a lobbyist for a major corporation? That’s a different story.

“If you’re sitting at Starbucks, why do I really care about your cell phone? But if you are a lobbyist or legislator, I care about your cell phone. I care about your iPhone. When I own your phone, I own your life,” Smith said.

He said a proficient hacker could lift a person’s address book off his or her phone, which the hacker could then use to impersonate the victim to friends or associates.

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A hacker could hi-jack the phone and make calls to costly pay-per-minute phone lines, which would be difficult for someone using a company phone to explain to an irate employer.

Hackers also could listen in on telephone conversations. They could even activate your headset’s microphone without you knowing it and listen in on private conversations and meetings.

Smith said the best way to ensure your phone isn’t vulnerable to a Bluetooth attack is to not use Bluetooth.

“If you’re not using it, turn it off. If you have to use it, turn it on, use it, turn it back off,” Smith said.

He said a large number of people who use Bluetooth headsets don’t set security passwords on the signal, opting instead to use the default “0000,” “0123” or “0124” passwords.

“If you’re going to use Bluetooth, please create an actual password,” Smith said.

Smith said computer users also need to be careful about using unsecured Wi-Fi Internet networks or wireless hotspots, especially if they use web-based e-mail such as Gmail or Hotmail. If users don’t access e-mail through a secure “virtual private network” (VPN) or a “secure sockets layer” (SSL), they could be vulnerable to a hacker accessing they’re e-mail accounts.

“Use a real e-mail address that connects to the e-mail server through a secure tunnel,” Smith said. “Don’t send important information and data over Gmail or Hotmail. You need to log-in securely. This is going to take some extra steps, and you’re going to need someone with some technology (expertise) to help you.”

Smith also advised people who use smartphones and computers in public places to install full Internet security suites, which have virus protection and firewalls built-in. He added that anti-virus software alone won’t protect you from a wireless attack.

“You need an Internet suite that will give you intrusion protection,” Smith said.

He said a firewall will recognize when a hacker is scanning your computer for a way in and will block the attack.

Smith said there are probably fewer than 100 people in the state capable of executing the kinds of attacks he warns about, so the risk of having your smartphone or computer hacked using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth is slim. However, that’s no reason to not protect your devices.

“Bluetooth is everywhere, that’s why you need to be aware of the threat,” Smith said.