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Intel Holiday Cybersecurity Warnings Include Bluetooth

Warning of an uptick in cyberscams during the holiday season, Intel issued alerts in a blog post last week by Gary Davis, Intel Security chief consumer security evangelist. In addition to website and email security problems, he said cybercriminals can…

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leverage weaknesses in Bluetooth to steal data. Some devices use default pairing passwords for Bluetooth, such as 0000 or 1234, allowing cybercriminals to pair and gain access to a device. Cybercriminals accessing a person’s user name and email address may use the data to launch spear-phishing attacks in which they pose as a familiar entity to try to steal sensitive data -- or even identities, Davis said. Using common Bluetooth passwords can make it easier for a criminal to pair with and gain access to a device, he said Thursday.