Details
Bluetooth devices use a wireless communications system that replaces the cables used by other peripherals to connect to a system. It is by design a peer-to-peer network technology and typically lacks centralized administration and security enforcement infrastructure.
Rationale:
Bluetooth is particularly susceptible to a diverse set of security vulnerabilities involving identity detection, location tracking, denial of service, unintended control and access of data and voice channels, and unauthorized device control and data access.
Impact:
There have been many Bluetooth exploits, while Bluetooth can be hardened it does create a local wireless network that can be attacked to compromise both devices and information. Apple has emphasized the ease of use in Bluetooth devices so it is generally expected that Bluetooth will be used. Turning off Bluetooth with this control will also disable the Bluetooth sharing capability that is more strongly recommended against in control 2.4.7.
Solution
Perform the following to implement the prescribed state:
In a Terminal, run the following commands:
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth ControllerPowerState -int 0
sudo killall -HUP blued
Supportive Information
The following resource is also helpful.
This security hardening control applies to the following category of controls within NIST 800-53: Configuration Management.This control applies to the following type of system Unix.