Security Assessment of Bluetooth Just Works Pairing Method: Vulnerabilities and Enhancements
Mohamed Yanis Sadaoui, Osman Salem, Ahmed Mehaoua · 2023
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is extensively employed in various fields such as medication, home automation, transportation, and agriculture, enabling the integration of smart applications into resource-constrained devices that can operate for prolonged periods, often powered by a coin cell battery. While many BLE devices rely on the Just Works pairing option to establish connections with peer devices, the responsibility for security implementation falls on application developers and device manufacturers due to its lightweight nature. Unfortunately, the market's reluctance to invest in security measures has resulted in a proliferation of vulnerable smart devices. This paper aims to address the vulnerability of the Just Works pairing method in BLE. Through a case study involving a smart lightbulb, we intercept BLE exchanges between two entities and propose an algorithm to enhance the security of the Just Works pairing mechanism.