The new mobile phone craze of "bluejacking" has panicked some
users into thinking they might be under attack from a cell phone
virus, Sophos technical support reports.
Bluejacking takes advantage of the Bluetooth communications
technology built into many modern mobile phones. Bluetooth allows
mobile devices to communicate with one another, at a range of about
30 feet. When Bluetooth is activated it can automatically seek out
other Bluetooth phones in the vicinity and attempt to communicate
with them.
The new fad is to send mischievous messages wirelessly between
Bluetooth-enabled phones, and watch the shocked look on the
recipient's face. Every Bluetooth phone in range can receive the
unexpected, unsolicited message. Recipients are said to be
"bluejacked" (a word derived from "Bluetooth" and "hijacked").
Unlike regular SMS text messaging, there is no charge for sending a
Bluetooth message and they can be delivered in areas where there is
no network coverage.
"If you don't know about bluejacking these messages can be quite
a shock," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for
Sophos. "Unexpected messages on your mobile may lead you to believe
you are the victim of a new mobile phone virus, or receiving cell
phone spam. As these unsolicited messages are being sent by someone
in your close vicinity they can also include personal information
about your appearance, or your environment, which may alarm you
into believing that you are being stalked."
"Sophos has received reports from users alarmed by the messages
they have received on their phones such as "You've been
Bluejack'd", and asking if they are suffering from a new kind of
virus attack. These messages are not viruses, but clearly they can
be a nuisance and unexpected surprise," continued Cluley.
A number of websites have been opened to describe how to
bluejack, and the craze is expected to spread. Sophos recommends
that users who do not wish to receive the messages (which can be a
nuisance as they must be deleted) turn off Bluetooth capability
when they do not require it.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.