HTC issues hotfix for Bluetooth vulnerability in smartphones

From InfoWorld: HTC released a software update on Thursday that fixes a Bluetooth vulnerability disclosed earlier this week by a Spanish security researcher.

The vulnerability, found in an HTC Bluetooth driver, obexfile.dll, could allow an attacker to gain access to all files on a phone by connecting to it via Bluetooth, according to Alberto Moreno Tablado, the researcher who discovered the bug in the OBEX FTP service and first reported it earlier this year.

The OBEX FTP directory traversal attack requires that a victim's phone has Bluetooth switched on and Bluetooth file sharing is activated. The vulnerability allows an attacker to move from the phone's Bluetooth shared folder into other folders. This gives the attacker access to contact details, e-mails, pictures or other data stored on the phone. They can also upload software to the phone, including malicious code.

The vulnerability affects nearly all HTC handsets running Windows Mobile 6 or Windows Mobile 6.1. HTC handsets running Windows Mobile 5 are not affected. Because the flaw is found in an HTC driver, handsets from other companies are not affected by the problem.

Moreno Tablado notified HTC of the flaw in February but the company didn't fix it, and he ultimately decided to disclose details of the vulnerability on his blog to give users a chance to protect themselves. The following day, HTC made available a hotfix for its Touch Pro, Touch Diamond, and Touch HD handsets that increases Bluetooth security.

View: Article @ Source Site