I was initially appalled at the characterization. Having lived through tangled wires and multiple snapped cords, I know exactly how Bluetooth headphone dominance came about. But after yet another confirmation of a security vulnerability in a wireless audio device, I’ve been rethinking my position.
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This particular situation involves Skullcandy’s Dime 3 earbuds. According to Carnegie Mellon University’s cybersecurity response team (CERT), these wireless earbuds will accept pairing requests without user verification. Any nearby, unpaired devices can link with the Dime 3 to record audio input from the microphones, take over audio playback, change the earbuds’ audio profile, or disrupt the user’s connection. If attacked, those who own Skullcandy Dime 3 buds may hear an audio alert of a new device being paired, but may not recognize the significance of the notification.
Skullcandy is not unique in being vulnerable to this kind of flaw—this news follows on the heels of Apple’s Beats Studio Buds and Creative’s Sound Blaster Katana V2X soundbar also falling prey to audio hijacking over Bluetooth. But Skullcandy Dime 3 owners may not have access to a fix. If your pair has older firmware, it remains exploitable. Skullcandy has yet to enable a way to update the buds’ internal software, so that the security patch is applied.
I’m likely not in imminent danger of being hacked through Bluetooth headphones, but I’m mindful of how connected devices can serve as entryways to juicier information. I don’t want someone to listen in my calls, for example.
The easiest solution is to switch to tech that can’t be as easily hacked. Going old-school currently seems the smarter way to go from a cybersecurity standpoint, and in this case, that’s choosing wired devices over wireless. (I’m reminded, as a nerd of a certain vintage, of the phone system in Battlestar Galactica.)
Before, taking this stance would have painted me as an antiquarian (or even a Luddite). But the kids, in their wisdom, have instead made it a smart trend. They really are going to be all right.