Bluetooth Safety and Security by Rob Abdul

Synopsis
This report briefly investigates into the standards of the Bluetooth phenomenon. Investigations into the workings of Bluetooth are given; an analysis of the potential new business creation is also explored. A close look at the security and safety issues relating to Bluetooth are examined.

Dr. George Carlo EMF Cell Phone Dangers Interview

Standards
Bluetooth supports, IEEE 802.11. Bluetooth is a de facto[1] standard for very low powered and short-range radio connections that would link your mobile phones and laptops, and allow them to access the Internet via hot spots[2]. The much-heralded wireless networking standard is seen as the solution to cutting the cables while increasing the connections of devices at home and work.

How Bluetooth Works?

Figure 1, Discovering a Bluetooth Device

Source: http://www.privateline.com/Bluetooth/Bray.pdf

Imagine two Bluetooth enabled devices; say for example a mobile phone and a laptop computer. The mobile phone is has a built-in modem. By configuring the dial up networking profile on the phone, it periodically scans to see if anyone wants to use it. The user of the laptop runs an application which requires a Bluetooth dial-up network connection. To successfully use this application, the laptop knows it needs to establish a Blue-tooth connection to a device supporting the dial up networking profile. First stage The first stage is in establishing such a connection is finding out what Bluetooth enabled devices are in the area, so the laptop performs an inquiry to look for devices in the neighbourhood. To do this the laptop transmits a series of inquiry packets. Eventually the cell phone replies with a Frequency Hop Synchronisation (FHS) packet. The FHS packet contains all the information that the laptop needs to create a connection to the cell phone. It also contains the device class of the cell phone, which consists of major and minor parts. Second Stage The major device class tells the laptop that it has found a phone; the minor part tells the laptop that the type of phone is a cellular phone. This exchange of messages is illustrated in Figure 1. In the same way, every Bluetooth-enabled device in the area which is scanning for inquiries will respond with an FHS packet, so the laptop accumulates a list of devices. What happens next is up to the designer of the application. Third Stage The laptop could present the user with a list of all the devices it has found and let the user choose what to do next; but if it did that at this stage, all it could do was tell the user about the types of devices it has found. Instead of telling the user about the devices it has found, the application could automatically go on to the next stage and find out which devices in the area support the dial-up networking profile.

Global Perspective
The Bluetooth World Congress is in its 5th year. It is the world largest dedicated Bluetooth event. This year in particular focus in given to experience from the vertical markets as the implementation of technology increases.

Potential for New Business Creation

Ericsson has created a separate Bluetooth business[3], Mads Madsen a spokes person for Ericsson in Sweden said that the new company for which a name has not yet been decided has already begun operations. The company is based in Lund, Sweden. This is where Ericsson has it major Bluetooth research department. "The new company is an expansion of our existing business," Madsen said. "We expect it to be a profitable business."

Security
As Bluetooth's role expands from small ad-hoc[4] networks comprised of a few wireless devices to an important part in online banking and mobile commerce, questions arise over its security. Is a Bluetooth network secure enough to transmit credit card numbers?

Not yet, seems to be the consensus. The Gartner Group, while saying Bluetooth "holds the promise of simplifying the life of the average mobile professional," questions the technology's security and is recommending a wait-and-see policy. Two researchers from Lucent's Bell Labs, a member of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, recently discovered conversations could be easily bugged and encryption defeated, according to The New York Times. "I'm sure the NSA and FBI are salivating about building little Bluetooth receivers disguised as pencils, electrical outlets and phone cables," wrote a member of a cryptography mailing list upon hearing the news.
For link encryption and authentication, Bluetooth uses a strong contemporary cipher algorithm available in the public domain called SAFER+[5].

Safety

Figure 2, Source: http://www.purchon.com/physics/electromagnetic.htm Bluetooth operate at 2.4 GHz[6]. 2.4 GHz is a microwave. Microwave oven also operate at this frequency 2.45 GHz. Please refer to Figure 1. Microwaves have very short wavelengths; they are very easily absorbed by water. This is why they are used in microwave ovens. Water in your dinner absorbs the microwaves; the energy of the microwaves is converted into heat: this makes the water molecules vibrate faster. Fortunately, microwaves ovens contain the harmful microwaves contained inside a Faraday Cage[7]. There are concerns and people are even frightened that the radio waves coming out of their mobile phones are short enough to cook their brains.

There is no scientific proof that base stations[8] for mobile phones (power level of 20 Watts) have any damaging effects on living beings, even short exposures to high-power microwaves (like inside microwave ovens, in proximity of radar dishes, military airplanes and military electronic countermeasure systems, which all have power levels of about 500 Watts to 1 Giga Watt[9]) cause all tissue to heat up, which leads to the destructions of internal organs, and the whitening of the eye's lens. Consequences can range from blindness, organ failure, brain bleedings and death.

Bluetooth Safety and Security by Rob Abdul

Synopsis
This report briefly investigates into the standards of the Bluetooth phenomenon. Investigations into the workings of Bluetooth are given; an analysis of the potential new business creation is also explored. A close look at the security and safety issues relating to Bluetooth are examined.

Dr. George Carlo EMF Cell Phone Dangers Interview

Standards
Bluetooth supports, IEEE 802.11. Bluetooth is a de facto[1] standard for very low powered and short-range radio connections that would link your mobile phones and laptops, and allow them to access the Internet via hot spots[2]. The much-heralded wireless networking standard is seen as the solution to cutting the cables while increasing the connections of devices at home and work.

How Bluetooth Works?

Figure 1, Discovering a Bluetooth Device

Source: http://www.privateline.com/Bluetooth/Bray.pdf

Imagine two Bluetooth enabled devices; say for example a mobile phone and a laptop computer. The mobile phone is has a built-in modem. By configuring the dial up networking profile on the phone, it periodically scans to see if anyone wants to use it. The user of the laptop runs an application which requires a Bluetooth dial-up network connection. To successfully use this application, the laptop knows it needs to establish a Blue-tooth connection to a device supporting the dial up networking profile. First stage The first stage is in establishing such a connection is finding out what Bluetooth enabled devices are in the area, so the laptop performs an inquiry to look for devices in the neighbourhood. To do this the laptop transmits a series of inquiry packets. Eventually the cell phone replies with a Frequency Hop Synchronisation (FHS) packet. The FHS packet contains all the information that the laptop needs to create a connection to the cell phone. It also contains the device class of the cell phone, which consists of major and minor parts. Second Stage The major device class tells the laptop that it has found a phone; the minor part tells the laptop that the type of phone is a cellular phone. This exchange of messages is illustrated in Figure 1. In the same way, every Bluetooth-enabled device in the area which is scanning for inquiries will respond with an FHS packet, so the laptop accumulates a list of devices. What happens next is up to the designer of the application. Third Stage The laptop could present the user with a list of all the devices it has found and let the user choose what to do next; but if it did that at this stage, all it could do was tell the user about the types of devices it has found. Instead of telling the user about the devices it has found, the application could automatically go on to the next stage and find out which devices in the area support the dial-up networking profile.

Global Perspective
The Bluetooth World Congress is in its 5th year. It is the world largest dedicated Bluetooth event. This year in particular focus in given to experience from the vertical markets as the implementation of technology increases.

Potential for New Business Creation

Ericsson has created a separate Bluetooth business[3], Mads Madsen a spokes person for Ericsson in Sweden said that the new company for which a name has not yet been decided has already begun operations. The company is based in Lund, Sweden. This is where Ericsson has it major Bluetooth research department. "The new company is an expansion of our existing business," Madsen said. "We expect it to be a profitable business."

Security
As Bluetooth's role expands from small ad-hoc[4] networks comprised of a few wireless devices to an important part in online banking and mobile commerce, questions arise over its security. Is a Bluetooth network secure enough to transmit credit card numbers?

Not yet, seems to be the consensus. The Gartner Group, while saying Bluetooth "holds the promise of simplifying the life of the average mobile professional," questions the technology's security and is recommending a wait-and-see policy. Two researchers from Lucent's Bell Labs, a member of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, recently discovered conversations could be easily bugged and encryption defeated, according to The New York Times. "I'm sure the NSA and FBI are salivating about building little Bluetooth receivers disguised as pencils, electrical outlets and phone cables," wrote a member of a cryptography mailing list upon hearing the news.
For link encryption and authentication, Bluetooth uses a strong contemporary cipher algorithm available in the public domain called SAFER+[5].

Safety

Figure 2, Source: http://www.purchon.com/physics/electromagnetic.htm Bluetooth operate at 2.4 GHz[6]. 2.4 GHz is a microwave. Microwave oven also operate at this frequency 2.45 GHz. Please refer to Figure 1. Microwaves have very short wavelengths; they are very easily absorbed by water. This is why they are used in microwave ovens. Water in your dinner absorbs the microwaves; the energy of the microwaves is converted into heat: this makes the water molecules vibrate faster. Fortunately, microwaves ovens contain the harmful microwaves contained inside a Faraday Cage[7]. There are concerns and people are even frightened that the radio waves coming out of their mobile phones are short enough to cook their brains.

There is no scientific proof that base stations[8] for mobile phones (power level of 20 Watts) have any damaging effects on living beings, even short exposures to high-power microwaves (like inside microwave ovens, in proximity of radar dishes, military airplanes and military electronic countermeasure systems, which all have power levels of about 500 Watts to 1 Giga Watt[9]) cause all tissue to heat up, which leads to the destructions of internal organs, and the whitening of the eye's lens. Consequences can range from blindness, organ failure, brain bleedings and death.

Our goal is to provide the cutting-edge best medicine, best teaching, and best research, says Dr. Thomas Stewart, Chief of Medicine at Mount Sinai. We need something thats going to allow us to change rapidly. Five years from now, the medical world is going to be very different. With iPhone, we have a platform that allows us to adapt. The intuitive iPhone interface enables physicians to focus on patients instead of grappling with technology. iPhone is driving this paradigm shift in health care, says Prateek Dwivedi, Mount Sinais Chief Information Officer. Weve empowered our clinicians to just do their jobs. It's not about the complexities. It's not about the difficulties. It's about having the right information at the right time. And when its not helping doctors treat patients, iPhone makes it easier to take care of administrative tasks, Stewart says. iPhone allows me to manage my day, to be on the go, to make the 200 phone calls I have to make each day, to connect with the literature, to take care of my patients. It does it all. Stewart notes that healthcare providers in the academic world not only have more patients to see, but the demands of research are great. I have a vast amount of reading to get through to help me make decisions in the best interest of my patients. Tools such as iPhone help me get better health care to the bedside faster.

Secure Operations
Incorporating iPhone into the hospitals network was a painless procedure. The IT staff quickly integrated the phone with Mount Sinais Microsoft Exchange server, giving physicians full access to email, calendars, and contacts. It's a very simple deployment, Dwivedi says. We use the iPhone Configuration Utility to put the profiles on. We don't require a lot of backend infrastructure to manage these devices. Because of Mount Sinais need to protect both confidential hospital information and sensitive patient data, the built-in security capabilities of iPhone are essential. iPhone allows us to do the two levels of user authentication that we require: using your password and VPN certificates, explains Giancarlo De Lio, the hospitals Manager of Innovation and Prototype Development. Whenever we implement new technology at the hospital, it has to adhere to our strict security policies, Dwivedi adds. iPhone is an enterprise-ready device. Out of the box, we have confidence in the encryption and our ability to manage the device remotely.

Vital Apps
With iPhone in the hands of its physicians, Mount Sinai decided to develop its own in-house iPhone app, VitalHub. The app brings together clinical data, reference materials, and patient information from 66 different applications within the hospitals network all in one simple mobile interface. Physicians for example no longer have to track down separate lab results or a critical test result from a different department. Using VitalHub, says Stewart, We now have access to exactly what we have in our computers here in the hospital. We can get access to our patients data whenever and wherever we want it. Knowing whats happening with their drugs, radiology, laboratory values, microbiology results it really enables me to make decisions on the go.

Whether using Wi-Fi or 3G on iPhone, doctors can access VitalHub no matter where they are, explains Dwivedi. They can review a patient chart before they come into the hospital, whether they are at home, in a restaurant, or at an airport.

Convenient Bedside Reference

The iPhone development and configuration tools gave Mount Sinais IT team everything they needed to visualize, build, and distribute the app, says De Lio. The iPhone SDK made it easy for us to realize what our front end should be like, so that saved us a lot of time. We went the hybrid approach, with native UI elements living on the phone. Once VitalHub was completed, the iPhone Configuration Tool allowed Mount Sinai IT to distribute the app directly to users phones. Combining VitalHub with medical apps available on the App Store makes iPhone an even more powerful on-demand reference tool. With VitalHub, I can see what drugs a patient is on, Stewart says. Previously, Id have to call ICU and speak to the bedside nurse. Once Stewart confirms a patients prescription drugs, he can use other apps on iPhone to quickly discover whether the drugs might interact inappropriately with each other. The whole concept of everything in one device, and being able to move between applications its fantastic. And De Lio adds, The speed and performance of iPhone and the app is a big benefit for patients because all the information is coming to their caregiver a lot faster.

Future Medicine
For Mount Sinais physicians and the patients they serve, the hospitals decision to integrate iPhone into daily operations has transformed patient care, allowing doctors to make faster, more-informed decisions. We believe iPhone is going to shift the way we practice medicine, Dwivedi says. This is big stuff, more important than anything, Stewart agrees. iPhone is the future of health care.