Wednesday, March 02, 2005

The New York Times > Movies > Oscars 2005 > An Oscar Surprise: Vulnerable Phones

The New York Times > Movies > Oscars 2005 > An Oscar Surprise: Vulnerable Phones: "According to a Los Angeles security consulting firm that went skulking outside the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood on Sunday, as many as 100 people who walked the red carpet were carrying cellphones vulnerable to the kind of privacy invasion that recently gained Ms. Hilton a new round of unwanted notoriety.
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Flexilis has specialized in a short-range wireless data technology known as Bluetooth, which is intended to replace cables over short distances. Many cellphones now have Bluetooth wireless capability to permit synchronizing with computers, or to connect to peripherals like wireless headsets.
Bluetooth is also becoming a standard technology in luxury cars to permit them to integrate easily with cellphones. And it is increasingly found in personal computers as a cable replacement for keyboards, mice and printers.
The Flexilis team said their concern was not with Bluetooth itself, which contains adequate security protection, but with the way the technology has been used by many manufacturers. "We're attempting to raise the level of security in the wireless world to the same standard that is now expected in the wired world," Mr. Hering said."

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