Possibly the most significant part of this problem is that the security holes exposed in the Bluetooth drivers that most of these laptops utilize are not trifles. These allow intruders to inject malicious codes into the system or crash the Windows XP machine.
For any good news, Toshiba has already begun work on a patch for this. It was released to take care of the issue.
Which Laptops and Drivers Are Affected
Toshiba Bluetooth modules, notably those running driver versions 3.x or 4.x but especially up to 4.00.35, are susceptible to this vulnerability. Such drivers in 64-bit form are allegedly not affected by this particular fault. You would usually check the Bluetooth driver version by the Bluetooth icon in your system tray (that little info area next to your clock).
But here, what's crucial is that other notebooks from brands like Asus, Dell and Sony would also have similar Toshiba Bluetooth modules. So, just to be on the safe side, you should keep that in mind even if the laptop is not directly Toshiba but uses Ato's Bluetooth tech.
How Does This Attack Work
SecureWorks didn't spell out in detail how a hacker could exploit this flaw. The bottom line is serious, however: an attacker could either run damaging programs inside a victim's computer or induce the Windows OS to hang or crash.
The only thing your Bluetooth has to do is be turned on or 'discoverable,' or 'visible' for the association to occur. Most installations have this as their default feature, and many systems remain susceptible unless patched.
Good News: A Fix is Ready
Right now, before anybody caught wind of the vulnerability, SecureWorks responsibly informed Toshiba. This held time for Toshiba to create and issue a software patch to seal off that security hole. It is then critical to apply that fix as early as possible.
It gives guidance to beneficiary users on how to download and update the new Bluetooth driver on respective notebook models from the official Toshiba support site.