CyberGlossary

Attacks & Threats

Bluejacking

Also known as: Bluetooth message spam

Definition

A largely nuisance-level Bluetooth attack in which an attacker sends unsolicited messages or contacts to nearby discoverable Bluetooth devices.

Bluejacking abuses the OBEX object-push or contact-exchange features of older Bluetooth stacks: an attacker within radio range crafts a vCard or message with a payload in the name field and pushes it to any device whose Bluetooth is discoverable. The result is typically a surprise notification, sometimes used for shock, advertising, harassment, or as a social-engineering pretext, but it generally does not give the attacker control or data access (unlike bluesnarfing or bluebugging). Defences are straightforward: keep Bluetooth disabled or non-discoverable when not pairing, reject pairing requests from unknown devices, keep firmware up to date, and use modern Bluetooth versions with secure simple pairing.

Examples

  • Sending a vCard with a provocative "name" to phones discoverable on a train or in a shopping mall.
  • Pushing a fake "You won a prize" contact card to phones in a café as a phishing pretext.

Related terms