Are your conversations over Bluetooth really secure?

8 May 2019

Protecting information has always been a primary concern in today’s technology world and especially important to enterprises when it comes to confidentiality. While enjoying the benefits of performance and productivity that Bluetooth wireless headsets bring, it is critical to know how your information is protected as you speak.

The new Sennheiser SDW 5000 Series has a high level of security behind its technology. DECT Security certified with industry-leading Protected Pairing technology, you can expect enhanced security that meets highest security standard of the modern work environment. It is virtually impossible to hack. The features below explain the reason how the SDW 5000 Series passed the DECT Security certification, and why it is authorised to carry the Security logo:

  Keeping your conversation confidential

Protected Pairing

Sennheiser has a Protected Pairing process which transfers sensitive pairing data (or Master Security Key) via the charging terminal of the SDW 5000 base station instead of ‘over the air’. This means that a Sennheiser headset needs to be physically docked into a Sennheiser Base Station for registration and security binding establishment.

Since the Master Security Key is stored on the devices and never transmitted ‘over the air’, this feature provides best in class security against any kind of unauthorised access. 

Per Call Authentication

Every time a call is made, the base station sends a random number stream – also known as a ‘challenge’ to the headset. The headset and base station then simultaneously run an authentication algorithm, using the random numbers and Master Security Key as input. The headset sends its ‘response’ back to the base station and if the calculation outputs match, the call can be placed.

It is not possible to retrieve the data used to generate the Master Security Key with physical access.

The Per Call Authentication Process Flow

Encryption

The voice data is strengthened by early encryption and re-keying. An early encryption guarantees that no voice or call data can be exchanged before the encryption has been activated. The SDW 5000 Series also changes the Derived Cipher Key (DCK) at short intervals used for encryption during an ongoing call. The 64-bit keys are renewed continuously throughout the call as a safeguard against any brute-force attempts to crack the ciphering. 

Security controls in HeadSetup Pro Manager

The SDW 5000 Series offers more security measures controllable via the software application HeadSetup Pro Manager. IT administrator can lock settings such as disabling conference mode, call merging or the USB port of the base station. This gives a company’s IT administrator the ability to restrict unwanted activity or devices on the network.

Sennheiser has addressed the security issues through the intelligent use of innovative solution with its well-designed and performance headsets.

To find out more, please visit www.atlasgentech.co.nz or contact your local Sennheiser dealer.       

For all relevant legal and technical documents of the DECT Security Certification program, please see http://dect.org/downloads.aspx .