Check out the new USENIX Web site.

USENIX Home . About USENIX . Events . membership . Publications . Students
3rd International Conference on Mobile Systems, Applications, and Services — Abstract

Pp. 39–50 of the Proceedings

Cracking the Bluetooth PIN

Yaniv Shaked and Avishai Wool, Tel Aviv University

Abstract

This paper describes the implementation of an attack on the Bluetooth security mechanism. Specifically, we describe a passive attack, in which an attacker can find the PIN used during the pairing process. We then describe the cracking speed we can achieve through three optimizations methods. Our fastest optimization employs an algebraic representation of a central cryptographic primitive (SAFER+) used in Bluetooth. Our results show that a 4-digit PIN can be cracked in less than 0.3 sec on an old Pentium III 450MHz computer, and in 0.06 sec on a Pentium IV 3Ghz HT computer.
  • View the full text of this paper in HTML and PDF.
    Click here if you have forgotten your password Until June 2006, you will need your USENIX membership identification in order to access the full papers. The Proceedings are published as a collective work, © 2005 by the USENIX Association. All Rights Reserved. Rights to individual papers remain with the author or the author's employer. Permission is granted for the noncommercial reproduction of the complete work for educational or research purposes. USENIX acknowledges all trademarks within this paper.

  • If you need the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download it from Adobe's site.
To become a USENIX Member, please see our Membership Information.

?Need help? Use our Contacts page.

Last changed: 24 May 2005 aw
Technical Program
MobiSys '05 Home
USENIX home