by During the election in 2024, the former Vice President Kamala Harris was photographed with wired headphones that were connected to a phone when she had Air Force two on board.
This is also not the first time that Harris was photographed with wired headphones. In her famous call “We tu it, Joe” with President Joe Biden about her victory from 2020 against Donald Trump, Harris saw how he holds a few cable headphones in one hand. In fact, she carried out several television interviews and official videos with wired headphones.
In 2021 Politico gave an insight into the preference of Harris’ headphones and reported that “she had long had the feeling that Bluetooth headphones are a security risk” and “insists to use wired headphones,” said three anonymous former campaign helpers. (Huffpost turned to Harris’ office about the use of her wired headphones, but did not receive an answer.)
Now we may not know exactly why Harris is dependent on wired headphones. But if it is due to security risks, according to cybersecurity expert, she is right to be suspicious of Bluetooth.
Why Bluetooth headphones have security risks.
Bluetooth transmits data in a certain area over the air, which is naturally susceptible to threats nearby, said the security architect and certified ethical hacker Maril Vernon. She said it was “intelligent” by Harris to use cable headphones.
“[Harris’] The physical connection is much more secure because it eliminates the risk that the wireless signal is intercepted, and there is pretty much no way that an attacker can listen to your conversation when she uses the device and the headphones, unless you were right next to her and you were able to hear physically through your headphones, or you have affected your mobile device, ”said Vernon.
If Harris Bluetooth headphones had used, there is a higher risk that someone who can listen to their calls via a chopped connection, Kevin Johnson, CEO of the consulting firm Secure Ideas and a hacker hired by companies to test their own security gaps.
“If they are elected Vice President of the United States, then stop using Bluetooth,” he said.
Very few of us are entrusted with government secrets that we have to keep privately, but they are probably one of the estimated billions that use a Bluetooth-compatible device. So should you follow Harris’ lead and adhere to wired headphones?
The good news is that if you are someone who is a top-class goal for hackers, you are okay to continue to use your wireless headphones to use some precautionary measures.
So it is safer if you use Bluetooth headphones and other devices.
Both cybersecurity experts who spoke to Huffpost use Bluetooth-enabled headphones in their daily life. But they also follow a few security protocols to make their listening experience more secure in public spaces. Like: How:
1. Do not leave your Bluetooth 24 hours a day.
Break the habit of constantly stopping your Bluetooth setting. As the Federal Communications Commission warns on your website, “enables the hackers to actively keep them to find out which other devices they are previously connected, get one of these devices and get access to their device.”
If you switch off your Bluetooth if you do not use it actively, attack the attackers the opportunity to establish their connection to your devices or to disturb you, “said Vernon.
For example, she proposed to switch off her Bluetooth setting when you take breaks from listening to your audio book or music.
Also pay attention to the number of strangers around you if you switch your Bluetooth setting back. Make sure that “you with which you want to connect with a connection are very close and not near other people”, Rat Vernon and found that the more you are from other people, the safer you are.
If possible, connect with your Bluetooth headphones in the privacy of your house before you go on compared to public settings such as an airport or on board an aircraft.
2. Make regular checks about which devices are paired with your Bluetooth connection.
Bluetooth-enabled devices can establish a connection to your phone or car in a process called “mating”. But too many of us forget to “pair” our devices after we are finished with Bluetooth. And that’s a great security risk.
“So many people combine with your friend’s car to play music and never remove your friend’s car [from their list of paired devices]”Said Vernon. After your friend and car is connected to your friend, you can “connect at any time when you approach this device”.
Sure, it’s okay if it is your friend, but worrying when it is someone you don’t trust.
“Every Bluetooth device has the potential to share data that you do not recognize,” said Johnson. “So you have to think about all devices that connect and use.”
Take the example of renting a car and using the Bluetooth functions of your phone to listen to music or make hands-free calls. Don’t forget to pair your phone and configure everything to forget this device from the rented car after you have returned it, Johnson advised. If you do not delete this data, someone can get access to your telephone contacts and conversations in the worst-case scenarios.
3. Use modern Bluetooth versions and carry out software updates.
Bluetooth has undergone several iterations in the past 10 years. Most modern headphones such as second generation AirPods use Bluetooth 5.0 or newer. However, you should check how the supported Bluetooth version is on your devices by checking out the specifications for your device. Johnson said that if you bought Bluetooth-enabled headphones in the past five or six years, you will probably use modern Bluetooth.
“Make sure that you do not use Amazon that uses Bluetooth version three, which is not as encrypted as Bluetooth version,” said Vernon.
Also, do not ignore firmware updates for the phone with which you combine your wireless headphones. This software update inquiries from your device manufacturer are not sent to annoy you. Vernon explains that “usually the execution of remote code and people who connect to your device without permission want to manufacture your device.”
4. Do it a little more difficult for people to guess which device belongs to them.
Are your airpods, iPhone and iPad currently all identified by your real name? If so, you should rethink this, said Vernon. If your Bluetooth setting is switched on, your devices can be found and can show personal data such as your names or names of your children that you do not know near you.
Vernon recommended “to name something strange so that nobody can correlate it with them” and found that it functions as a “additional security level”.
She gave the example of giving her Bluetooth-enabled device a random name that does not belong to them. In this way, hackers have “less information about working”.
Bluetooth has made us comfortable to stay in contact with our music, friends and much more while we are on the go, and if you don’t have a job that has highly sensitive information, you don’t have to give up this simple convenience. Remember to follow these steps to avoid that strangers radiate their personal data to find and see.
