Alert! Windows 10 PC & Android phones are in danger of Bluetooth hack data theft: Research

Windows 10 PCs and Android smartphones are in danger of being hacked using Bluetooth, the wireless connectivity feature that allows devices to connect and interact with nearby devices. Security experts have discovered as many as 16 vulnerabilities, which are collectable being referred to as BrakTooth. These loopholes in Bluetooth technology can potentially impact a large number of devices such as desktops, smartphones, Bluetooth-enabled speakers and headphones and more. 

BrakTooth can lead to Bluetooth hacking of Android phones and Windows 10 PC

A study conducted by Singapore University asserts that a group of bugs and vulnerabilities which are being commonly called BrakTooh can impact a large number of devices around the globe. Among the issues created by the bugs include Denial of Service through firmware crashes and dreadlocks of devices. Additionally, hackers who are aware of the vulnerability might access user's data through it as well. According to the Singapore University of Technology and Design in the research paper published on AssetGroup's GitHub address, the name BrakTooth is a combination of two words, Brak and Tooth. The former translates to crash in English and the latter signifies the connection with Bluetooth. Below is the list of chipmakers that are affected. 

"In this report, we disclose BrakTooth , a family of new security vulnerabilities in commercial BT stacks that range from denial of service (DoS) via firmware crashes and deadlocks in commodity hardware to arbitrary code execution (ACE) in certain IoTs. As of today, we have evaluated 13 BT devices from 11 vendors. We have discovered a total of 16 new security vulnerabilities, with 20 common vulnerability exposures (CVEs) already assigned and four (4) vulnerabilities are pending CVE assignment from Intel and Qualcomm." as mentioned by Singapore University of Technology and Designed in the published research paper titled BrakTooth: Causing havoc on Bluetooth Link Manager.

Several products manufacturers use the chips that are affected by BrakTooth

The flaws are a threat to chips supplied by companies such as Intel, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments. It is these chipsets that are being used by other product manufacturing brands such as Dell and HP, who are the leaders in the laptop and desktop manufacturing market, and brands like Samsung and OnePlus, who own a large chunk of the global Android smartphone market. Below attached is the list of manufacturers that are affected,