Are you traveling in a bus, but you feel the music on the deck sucks? Or maybe your neighbor is having a house party, and you can’t bear the noise? You can actually take over a Bluetooth speaker and play what you want. In this article, we will should you how to hijack a Bluetooth speaker. Read this article to learn more.
If your intention is just to override a Bluetooth speaker connection, please check this guide.
Can I Hijack or Hack A Bluetooth Speaker?
The first question you should ask yourself before you make this attempt is whether it will be possible or not.
The answer is yes! It is possible to bypass the security of a Bluetooth speaker, hijack or hack it and take complete control of what plays on the speaker. The process is, however, technical and has several security hurdles.
Are Bluetooth Devices Insecure?
If we answered yes to the previous question, does it mean that Bluetooth devices are not safe? Generally, researchers still consider Bluetooth as a cheap and ubiquitous means of sharing information.
Therefore, it is widely used across devices such as smartwatches, speakers, game controllers, headsets, and IoT devices.
Also, recent research establishes that Bluetooth speakers are vulnerable to the recently-discovered Key Negotiation of Bluetooth (KNOB) attack. With this kind of vulnerability, hijackers can gain complete control of a Bluetooth device without the victim receiving any signals or warnings.
Besides, hijackers can seamlessly use this protocol to perform additional insidious attacks on the device they attack, such as monitoring conversations over Bluetooth.
1. Pair with It Before Anyone Else
The easiest and simplest way to ‘hack’ or hijack a Bluetooth speaker is to be the first person to pair it with the speaker. This way, you will have initial control over the Bluetooth speaker instead of anyone esle.
Of course, this is the weakest option because most Bluetooth speakers come with a PIN. However, if the one you are targeting does not have a PIN, you can connect to it once it’s not connected to another device.
2. Use a KNOB (Key Negotiation of Bluetooth) Attack
A KNOB attack is a type of man-in-the-middle attack that can be used to hack Bluetooth devices.
Knob attacks allow two Bluetooth devices that are paired together to connect without authentication.
What Is The Bluetooth KNOB Attack?
Bluetooth is a standard that allows two devices that are paired to negotiate. When the devices negotiate, one of the things they have to agree upon is encryption.
A Bluetooth Knob attack or Key Negotiation of Bluetooth (KNOB) Attack exploits a severe vulnerability in the Bluetooth specification that allows anyone to break the security mechanisms of Bluetooth.
Bluetooth devices request varying levels of security for the connection. This is good for communication as it increases device compatibility and ensures that new devices can still communicate with the old ones.
However, the attack takes advantage of a flaw that makes it easier for an attacker to force two devices to use weak encryption. When this happens, the KNOB attack lowers the entropy of the link to 1 byte.
Generally, the level of entropy determines how much the encryption changes over time, and it’s the most significant determinant of Bluetooth security.
When the encryption is weak, the fundamental changes sluggishly. As a result, it becomes much easier to hijack. Therefore, a nearby hacker will force your device to utilize weaker encryption when it connects, exposing it to his attack.
For the KNOB attack to work, the hijacker must be physically close to the two Bluetooth devices you have connected. Besides, he has a concise window of time to interrupt the handshake and force a different encryption method.
How To Hijack A Bluetooth Speaker Using A KNOB Attack?
Hijacking a Bluetooth speaker, however possible, may not be a straightforward process. You can hack a Bluetooth speaker using android, iPhone, or Linux.
How To Jam Bluetooth Speaker With Android Or iPhone
Escalate The Attack
You will be able to hijack a Bluetooth speaker by first escalating the KNOB attack. With KNOB opening the door, escalate the attack a step further by leveraging your access to the decrypted link in a controlled environment and hijacking the Bluetooth session.
Set Up A Man In The Middle Attack
After using the KNOB to crack the link, escalate the attack by setting up a relay for the Man in the Middle (MITM).
To complete the attack, you will need to write a Python script to change the session running through the Man in the Middle relay before transmitting the altered packets. You can do this by changing the music stream that is sent to the speaker.
Note that you will be able to take over the speaker without any indication to the victim that the session is under attack apart from the change in the music or audio signal.
3. How To Hack Bluetooth Speaker With Kali Linux
You will be able to hack a Bluetooth speaker with Btscanner in Kali Linux. You can use this tool to seize records from a Bluetooth device even without pairing.
Direct Access
Download the software, set it up and search for the speaker device you intend to hijack.
- Start your Bluetooth with the command SYNTAX:-SERVICE BLUETOOTH START
- Open the btscanner using the command above
- Follow the prompts
- Select the arrow keys shown, and press enter for complete detail about the device.
- You can then perform any action such as access and play music with the device you selected.
BlueZ
You can use a protocol stack like BlueZ to hack a Bluetooth speaker using Kali Linux or in fact most other Linux distros. The advantage of Kali Linux is that it will have BlueZ installed by default. For other distros, you can install BlueZ from the repository.
BlueZ has a number of simple tools we can use to manage and eventually hack Bluetooth. These include:
- hciconfig :- Similar to ifconfig in linux, you can use it to bring up the Bluetooth interface (hci0) and query the device for its specs.
- hcitool :- You can use this tool to inquire about the device name, device ID, device class, and the device clock.
- hcidump :- This tool enables us to sniff Bluetooth communication.
How To Get Kali Linux?
You can get Kali for free at Kali.com. Of course, you need to download and install it. Otherwise, you can get an already loaded form of Kali Linux in the form of a Kali Linux bootable USB drive.
4. How To Hack Bluetooth Speaker With Metasploit
Metasploit is a penetration testing framework that came out of the Metasploit Project. The Metasploit Project is a computer security project that provides information about security vulnerabilities. The project also aids in penetration testing and IDS signature development.
Metasploit includes a module called “bluetooth_hcidump” that can be used to exploit Bluetooth devices. It is used to capture and analyze Bluetooth packets.
To use Metasploit to hack a Bluetooth speaker, you will need to follow the procedure below:
- Use the “btscanner” tool to find Bluetooth devices that are open and vulnerable to attacks.
- Find any vulnerable Bluetooth device that is connected to the internet.
- Using the “bluetooth_hcidump” exploit and take over the device.
What Do I Need To Hack A Bluetooth Speaker With Android Or iPhone Successfully?
You will need some of the following software packages, a Raspberry Pi 3B+ and a rooted Nexus 5 smartphone.
Internalblue
This is a testbed that offers researchers use to get low-level Bluetooth access to devices. It can log traffic, send packets, dump memory, set breakpoints, push assembly points, and many more functionalities.
Gatttool
This is a utility for exploring Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices. It is a modern offshoot of Bluetooth core standards with particular power-saving features.
Researchers are particularly interested in the Bluetooth Low Energy standard because it permits users to poll devices for information even if they are not paired.
Btproxy
It helps researchers to build a MITM relay that supports the analysis of traffic between two devices. Hijackers use btproxy to eavesdrop on Bluetooth devices and inject their data into the connection.
If you are a Bluetooth systems researcher or want to try some Bluetooth hacks, these utilities will help you execute your plan uninterrupted.
Bluetooth Speaker Hack APK
An APK, or Android Package Kit is the file format for apps on the Android operating system. APK files can be downloaded from the internet and may be installed o your phone as regular apps.
However, these APKs are normally not tested for security and other means of protection by the Play store so you will have to use them at your own risk.
There are many Bluetooth hack APKs available on the internet. We however suggest that you do not install any APK without first knowing if the source is reputable and secure.
How To Hack Bluetooth Speaker With Termux
Termux is a terminal emulator app for Android and other Linux-based systems. This app may be used on your Android to hack a Bluetooth speaker, but your device must be rooted. To hack a Bluetooth speaker using Termux, follow the steps similar to how you would hack the speaker with Kali Linux.
Why Is It So Hard To Perform Bluetooth Hacks?
As we already mentioned, hacking a neighbor’s Bluetooth speaker may not be such an easy task. This is because Bluetooth hacking requires you to be there during Bluetooth device pairing. Otherwise, you have to force the devices to pair again.
However, forcing devices to pair again requires that you take advantage of the hardware vulnerability or interrupt the connection by blasting it with noise.
However, Bluetooth has robust systems that prevent any forms of re-pairing attacks and requires attackers to expose themselves by using high-power multi-channel frequency jammers to generate enough noise to guarantee an interruption. Besides, it is illegal to use any jamming device.
How Can I Secure My Bluetooth Speaker From Attack?
In the same way that persons can gain unauthorized access to Bluetooth speakers for ethical reasons, others may do so for unethical reasons as well.
You must find the best ways to protect your Bluetooth speaker against security and data flaws. Follow the guideline below to secure your Bluetooth devices:
- Avoid having sensitive conversations over your Bluetooth devices
- Avoid using Bluetooth internet adapters
- Don’t use Bluetooth devices when communicating with virtual assistants
- When buying Bluetooth devices, look for those with Bluetooth 5.1 and above
- Disable Bluetooth on your computer and phone when they are not in use
For a more detailed approach, please check out our guide on how to prevent unauthorized access to a Bluetooth speaker.
If all the above fails and someone gets access to your Bluetooth speaker, you can always follow our guide on how to kick someone off your Bluetooth speaker.