42P. Public Perception vs. the Reality of Bluetooth Security

The aim of this research is to identify whether there is a need for greater public awareness of security related to Bluetooth. This study surveyed public opinion in different aspects of Bluetooth's security. An analysis of the data found that females were generally more vigilant than males when using Bluetooth and that those who have some knowledge in Bluetooth security are generally more security conscious. The outcome revealed a need for the public to become familiar with the threats of impersonation, random attacks and targeted attacks, as well as the security measures available to avoid these. It also revealed that the public have overestimated the threat of contracting viruses and malware when using Bluetooth. The majority have not realized the degree of how widely used Bluetooth is.