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Boston University researchers have discovered[pdf] flaws in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) that can make it possible to track Windows 10, iOS and macOS devices that support the technology.
BLE is a Bluetooth implementation designed to provide connectivity at reduced power consumption and cost compared to classic Bluetooth. While BLE was also intended to resole privacy concerns affecting classic Bluetooth, the researchers found that the way in which BLE devices communicate to other devices that they are available to pair, actually renders them vulnerable to tracking. Moreover, the report warns that “local BLE tracking methods may be significantly compounded by coordinating them in a botnet of adversaries, resulting in potentially global tracking capabilities.”
Read more: Bluetooth Flaws Could Allow Global Tracking of Apple, Windows 10 Devices