21st Febuary 2006 - The flaw is found in four models of Sony Ericsson phones and comes from an error in their Bluetooth service, according to the French Security Incident Response Team, or FrSIRT.

Danish security firm Secunia reported the same flaw, and both companies have rated the potential security risk as low. Thomas Kristensen, Secunia’s chief technology officer, said that someone intent on knocking out one of the four Sony Ericsson phones, which includes the K600i and T68i, would need only to get within 50 feet while carrying a handheld device configured to send the malicious code via Bluetooth. The code would crash the phone.

Kristensen said: “I don’t think the phone’s user would even know the attack occurred until they tried to use their phone again.”

The good news is that damage would be minimal. Once the phone was turned off and restarted, it would function normally again, he said.

A company spokeswoman said in an email: “Sony Ericsson believes that the possibilities to exploit the Sony Ericsson products mentioned are very limited. However, if you are concerned, you can help prevent access to the phone by switching off the ‘discoverable’ mode in the Bluetooth settings of the phone. This makes the phone invisible to others and thereby minimises the risk of being accessed.

Back to News Reports