Bluetooth wireless phone headsets can be intercepted by simple off-the-shelf radio scanners unless they are encrypted. For a few dollars would-be buggists can purchase a commercial scanner capable of monitoring frequencies in the 900 MHz and 1.2 GHz ranges, which is where many of the popular hands-free headsets operate.Not only are the phone conversations susceptible to intercept, but sometimes, when the other party has hung up, the wireless connection remains open and you can hear what (the party at the intercepted end) is saying afterwards. Off the shelf scanners can have a range of up to 200m. More sophisticated scanners can intercept at ranges of up to 2km. And with software programs like Bluescanner a complete user profile can be completed.
At present, most off-the-shelf headsets do not incorporate encryption, and the simple pairing code does not provide any defence against intercept.
Smarter companies are likely to have adopted encryption, reports United Press International, giving as an example the large pharmaceutical companies, which use encryption even for internal presentations employing wireless microphones. But according to the UPI report most companies seem unaware of the risks or are ignoring them, on the assumption that the communications are not being intercepted.
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