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Bluetooth has all the advantages of wireless. Without fiddling around with cables or plugs, users can set up their own personal area network. Unfortunately, it also has some unpleasant disadvantages. Stealing data, such as numbers and diary entries, is as seamless on Bluetooth--if rather more painful for the device owner--as the setting up of a legitimate link. 'Bluesnarfing', the euphemism for stealing other people's confidential information via Bluetooth, is not, however, inevitable. People are starting to work out ways to prevent it.

What sort of animal is it?

Bluetooth is a telecom industry specification that enables mobile phones, computers, and other devices to interconnect with each other over a short-range wireless connection. The basic connection process involves device discovery, type and server enumeration, bonding/pairing between devices (using a 1-16 digit password) and, finally, the connection of services. Within this process, there are three 'security' modes:

* no security -- a non-secure mode which will not initiate any kind of security;

* application/service based (L2CAP) -- this provides a service level enforced security mode. It is a flexible access security method which allows multiple applications to use different security requirements in parallel; and

* ink-layer (PIN authentication/MAC address security/encryption) -- the Bluetooth device will initiate security procedures before the link is set-up. What may surprise most general users is that this is the most vulnerable connection and has caused the most concern.

# posted by Medical Information : 2:14 AM