Analyzing Bluetooth LowEnergy Security in headphones : A Comparison Between Low-Cost and High-EndDevices

Sammanfattning

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is commonly used in wireless headphones for pairing, device identification, and advertising. However, user‑friendly features and inconsistent manufacturer implementations can introduce security vulnerabilities, especially when unauthenticated methods such as Just Works are used. These vulnerabilities show the importance of understanding how BLE security is applied. This study examines BLE implementations across different price ranges and evaluates how these choices may introduce potential attack surfaces. The analysis focuses on how the headphones advertise themselves, how pairing is performed,and how devices identify each other. Practical testing was also conducted to observe how the headphones respond in different situations, including a denial‑of‑service test, a GATT write replay test,and a MITM analysis during pairing. These tests were used to identify weaknesses in how BLE is implemented across the devices. The results revealed security weaknesses across all price categories, indicating that BLE securityis shaped more by manufacturer implementation choices than by product cost. All tested headphonesrelied on the Just Works pairing method, which lacks authentication and protection against MITM attacks. These findings show that BLE implementation decisions continue to create vulnerabilities in wireless headphones regardless of price.