harris: Kamala Harris and the case of Bluetooth headphones

It was a historic moment when Kamala Harris called Joe Biden after winning the US presidential elections and over the phone told him, “We did it, Joe”. Harris was talking on the phone but had a pair of wired headphones in her other hand. Harris has been spotted using wired headphones on a few other occasions as well.
A report by Politico says that Harris is rather wary of Bluetooth headphones and prefers wired ones. The reason? According to Politico, the US vice president is extremely careful about security and technology. Though it has been confirmed that why Harris prefers wired headphones over Bluetooth ones but experts believe she could be right in doing so.
As per a report by CNet, cybersecurity experts say that Bluetooth connections can be hacked. Cybercriminals, according to the report, can hack a Bluetooth connection and take control of the device. They can install malicious codes and hackers can eavesdrop on conversations.
John Scott Railton, senior researcher, Citizen Labs tweeted that Harris is smart and knows the risks. In a tweet, he noted, “ By keeping bluetooth OFF Kamala is reducing a host of risks, including Close-access attacks against her handset; Bluetooth tracking; All sorts of signals collection, etc.”
In July this year, the US National Security Agency (NSA) had published a document that focused on cybersecurity guidance and noted the risks of Bluetooth technology.“Bluetooth technology transmits data wirelessly between devices within short distances. This feature is very convenient in private (i.e., non-public settings). However, keeping a device’s Bluetooth feature enabled in a public setting can pose a cybersecurity risk. Malicious actors can scan for active Bluetooth signals, potentially giving them access to information about the targeted device,” the document noted.
The NSA also noted in the document that Bluetooth should not be used to communicate passwords or sensitive data. Harris may have a valid case of not using Bluetooth considering the post she holds and what’s at stake. For the common public, if you are too worried or paranoid about your data or phone being hacked, it’s better to keep the Bluetooth off and switch it on only when needed.