TJ Mitchell

palmer — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 17:51:21 +0000

TJ Mitchell

Systems Administrator

palmer Mon, 02/03/2025 - 12:51

CIT

tmitchell@geneseo.edu

Todd received a Bachelor in Technology degree from Alfred State University and worked for 3 years for Corning Incorporated.

Donald Turner

palmer — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 14:05:17 +0000

Donald Turner

Instructional Designer

palmer Wed, 11/13/2024 - 09:05

dturner@geneseo.edu

(he/him/his)

Geneseo Ushers In a New Academic Year

rime — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 14:30:48 +0000

Geneseo Ushers In a New Academic Year rime Fri, 08/30/2024 - 10:30

Jackson Named ��'s CIO for Computer & Information Technology

patenaude — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 13:13:41 +0000

Jackson Named ��'s CIO for Computer & Information Technology patenaude Mon, 04/08/2024 - 09:13

Geneseo Marks Start of Academic Year 2021–22

rime — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 19:27:27 +0000

Geneseo Marks Start of Academic Year 2021–22 rime Fri, 08/27/2021 - 15:27

Bluetooth Vulnerabilities

barkan — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 18:56:14 +0000

Bluetooth Vulnerabilities

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

barkan Wed, 10/23/2019 - 14:56

Computing & Information Technology News

October is National Cyber Security Awareness month. This is the third article in a five-part series on security brought to you by Geneseo’s Information Security Program Team.

Bluetooth is a wireless technology that allows you to connect many types of devices—such as hands-free headsets, headphones, or speakers—to your mobile devices. It also connects your mobile phone to your car’s media system for hands-free calling or audio streaming.

Bluetooth enhances our productivity and makes our lives easier. It allows devices within the immediate vicinity (usually about 30 feet) to discover one another and initiate connections. The security on Bluetooth-enabled devices typically requires the user to accept a connection request and authorize it. By accepting the connection, you enable it as a trusted device.

Unfortunately, these discovery and connection features also introduce some risk of security attacks:

Bluejacking—sending unsolicited spam messages to your phone
Bluesnarfing—stealing information from your phone, such as calendar or address book entries
Bluebugging—remotely accessing your phone and secretly using its features, such as placing calls and sending text messages

What can you do to prevent your Bluetooth connection from being hacked?

Turn off Bluetooth when not in use

Disable Bluetooth if you are not using it and are in a public area where hackers are more likely to exist.

Ignore Bluetooth connections you did not initiate

Bluejacking, in particular, takes advantage of Bluetooth’s discovery features to send messages to unsuspecting people. Some messages contain a “business card” (vcard) that can allow the sender to become trusted if you act on it. If you receive a message on your phone that you did not initiate, ignore or dismiss it.

Disable the “allow new Bluetooth connections” setting when not in use

Most of us only connect to known or trusted devices such as our hands-free headset, car media system, or home speakers. Disable the setting on your phone that allows new Bluetooth connections until you need to pair to a new device.

Keep your phone or mobile device operating system updated

Bluesnarfing and bluebugging attacks take advantage of flaws in your device’s Bluetooth code to access your devices, so regular updates are important. Turn on automatic updates on your mobile device. Make sure your Bluetooth devices use the newest protocols whenever possible and consider replacing older devices.

Be careful what you share

Avoid sharing sensitive, personal information over Bluetooth connections. Use hands-on options for data you need to protect.

Watch for strange behavior

Be alert for signs of hacking, such as spikes in data consumption, your phone suddenly turning off and on on its own or disconnecting and reconnecting on its own.

Computing & Information Technology

TJ Mitchell

Donald Turner

Geneseo Ushers In a New Academic Year

J​ackson Named ������'s CIO for Computer & Information Technology

Geneseo Marks Start of Academic Year 2021–22

Bluetooth Vulnerabilities

What can you do to prevent your Bluetooth connection from being hacked?

Turn off Bluetooth when not in use

Ignore Bluetooth connections you did not initiate

Disable the “allow new Bluetooth connections” setting when not in use

Keep your phone or mobile device operating system updated

Be careful what you share

Watch for strange behavior

Jackson Named ��'s CIO for Computer & Information Technology