WIDCOMM BlueGate 2100, Administrator'S Manual, Page: 43 / 49

BlueGate 2100 Appendices—A: Intro to BT
July 26, 2001 WIDCOMM, Inc, Proprietary and Confidential
A-2
D
EVICE
I
DENTITY
Each Bluetooth device has a unique forty-eight-bit binary Bluetooth Device (BD Addr)
burned into its Read Only Memory during the manufacturing process. This address
cannot be changed by the end-user.
A devices’ BD Addr is usually displayed in hexadecimal format, for example,
00:D0:B7:03:2E:9F is a valid BDA.
Each Bluetooth device also has an operator-configurable user-friendly device name to
help distinguish it from other Bluetooth devices in the vicinity. Valid user-friendly names
include:
•
Bob’s PC.
•
Randy’s Laptop.
•
John Q. Public’s PDA.
User-friendly names make it easier to recognize the devices in the Bluetooth
Neighborhood. However, because the name is easily changed, it is not reliable for
security purposes.
<back>
S
ECURITY
Bluetooth offers five types, or levels, of security:
•
None—all Bluetooth devices are allowed to connect.
•
Authorization—the local device operator must authorize a remote device
connection, usually by physically clicking an on-screen button.
•
Authentication—remote devices must provide a password that matches that of
the local device.
•
Encryption—connections with remote devices can be encrypted for additional
security.
•
Service Level—individual local services may be disabled. Disabled services are
not available to any remote device. Service Level security is only available on
some types of devices.
<back>
Authorization
Authorization provides name-level and device-level security.
An audible and/or visual warning notifies the local operator that a remote device is
attempting to access the system.
The local operator can open a dialog box that provides:
•
Name-level security information—the user-friendly name of the device
attempting access.
•
Device-level security information—the Bluetooth Device Address (BD Addr) of
the device attempting access.
•
The type of access the requesting device is trying to achieve.
Based on the information provided in the dialog box, the operator may authorize or deny
access by physically clicking an on-screen button.
If the initial notification is ignored access is denied after a preset timeout.
Authorization does not provide foolproof security since Bluetooth device names are
re-configurable by the end-user.
Advantages of authorization : Ease of use—requires a simple
YES
-or-
NO
response.
Disadvantages of authorization : Weak security. <back>