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Security researchers have identified and disclosed several critical vulnerabilities in Bluetooth headphones and earbuds powered by Airoha Bluetooth System-on-Chips (SoCs), which are widely used by major brands such as Sony, Bose, JBL, Marshall, and Jabra. The vulnerabilities, tracked as CVE-2025-20700, CVE-2025-20701, and CVE-2025-20702, allow attackers within Bluetooth range to eavesdrop on conversations, steal sensitive data, and potentially hijack connected smartphones. The most severe flaw, related to the RACE (Remote Access Control Engine) protocol, enables remote code execution and arbitrary memory access due to missing authentication mechanisms in both Bluetooth Low Energy and Classic modes. Despite initial disclosure in June 2025 and the availability of patches, many affected devices remain unpatched, increasing the risk of exploitation.
The RACE protocol, originally designed for factory debugging and firmware updates, is exposed over multiple interfaces, including Bluetooth and USB HID, providing attackers with powerful capabilities if exploited. Researchers have released a white paper and the RACE Toolkit to help users and security professionals assess device vulnerability. The ongoing exposure of these flaws highlights the importance of timely patching and the risks associated with insecure default configurations in widely deployed consumer electronics. Users of affected headphones and earbuds are urged to check for firmware updates and apply patches as soon as possible to mitigate the risk of compromise.
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4 events from the most recent confirmed update back to the earliest known activity.
Media reports publicized the vulnerabilities as 'Headphone Jacking,' emphasizing that affected earbuds and headphones from brands such as Sony, Bose, JBL, Marshall, and Jabra could be used to compromise connected phones. The coverage noted proof-of-concept attacks involving account compromise and warned that many devices were still unpatched.
Researchers later released technical details and a toolkit to help users assess exposure to the Bluetooth headphone vulnerabilities. The published material described how attackers within Bluetooth range could eavesdrop, steal data, extract keys, and hijack connected smartphones.
Following the disclosure, some manufacturers including Jabra, Marshall, and Beyerdynamic released firmware updates to address the Airoha-based vulnerabilities in affected devices. Patch coverage varied across brands, and transparency about fixes remained inconsistent.
Security researchers initially disclosed multiple vulnerabilities affecting Bluetooth headphones and earbuds using Airoha SoCs, including issues tied to the RACE protocol and missing authentication. The disclosure occurred in June 2025, starting remediation efforts by vendors and manufacturers.
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Researchers disclosed three vulnerabilities in Bluetooth audio devices built on Airoha systems-on-chip that can allow an attacker within radio range to gain unauthorized access to device memory and communications. The flaws, tracked as **`CVE-2025-20700`**, **`CVE-2025-20701`**, and **`CVE-2025-20702`**, stem from missing authentication in GATT and Bluetooth BR/EDR components and weak permission controls in a proprietary protocol, affecting headphones and earbuds sold by brands including **Sony, Bose, Jabra, JBL, Marshall, Beyerdynamic, and Teufel**. ERNW researchers said the bugs can be chained to hijack the Bluetooth link between a phone and an audio device, issue commands to the paired phone through the **Hands-Free Profile**, eavesdrop on conversations, and potentially overwrite firmware for remote code execution on the accessory. The attack requires proximity because exploitation is limited by Bluetooth range, but defenders were urged to apply vendor firmware updates and investigate or restart devices showing abnormal Bluetooth behavior.
Jul 24, 2026
Apple has released **Beats Firmware Update `1B211`** to fix a high-severity Bluetooth vulnerability in **Beats Studio Buds** that could let an attacker within wireless range listen through the earbuds’ microphone under limited conditions. The flaw, tracked as **`CVE-2025-20701`**, affected devices while they were **unpaired and actively seeking a pairing request**, allowing pre-pairing eavesdropping. Apple said the issue originated in **open source code** and noted that Apple software was among the affected projects. The bug was identified in **Airoha** system-on-chip code by researchers **Dennis Heinze** and **Frieder Steinmetz** of **ERNW GmbH**, who linked it to missing authentication in the Bluetooth **BR/EDR** radio. ERNW said the flaw could be chained with **`CVE-2025-20700`** and **`CVE-2025-20702`** to enable broader attacks against vulnerable headphones, including issuing phone commands, extracting link keys, accessing call history and contacts, and placing calls, though such attacks require close proximity and substantial technical skill. The update is delivered automatically when the earbuds are paired with an **iPhone, iPad, or Mac**, placed on a charger, and kept within Bluetooth range.
Jun 29, 2026
Armis Labs disclosed **BlueBorne**, a cluster of Bluetooth implementation vulnerabilities that exposed Android, Windows, Linux, older iOS versions, and some older macOS systems to attack without pairing, user interaction, or even an IP connection. The flaws, reported as eight to nine bugs across affected platforms, included **remote code execution**, **man-in-the-middle**, **information disclosure**, and full device takeover scenarios. Researchers said an infected device could invisibly reach nearby targets over Bluetooth from roughly 32 feet away, potentially intercept data, deliver malware, and spread in a worm-like fashion across phones, PCs, smartwatches, TVs, cars, drones, medical devices, and other IoT systems. At disclosure, Armis estimated **5.3 billion devices** were vulnerable, and US-CERT warned that millions of unpatched systems could be affected. Although patches were issued for some platforms, including Microsoft Windows and newer Android releases, older Android devices, many Linux systems, and unsupported Apple devices remained difficult to secure. A year after the flaws were revealed, Armis said **more than two billion devices** were still exposed because users had not installed updates or their hardware no longer received vendor support, underscoring the long tail of Bluetooth risk across legacy and embedded systems.
Jun 29, 2026