Computer scientists have developed an app that allows state and federal inspectors to detect devices that steal consumer credit and debit card data at gas pumps. The devices, known as skimmers, use Bluetooth to transmit the data they steal.

«All criminals have to do is download the data from the comfort of their vehicle,» said Nishant Bhaskar, a Ph.D. student in computer science at the University of California San Diego and the study’s first author.

The app, called Bluetana, detects the Bluetooth signature of the skimmers, and allows inspectors to find the devices without needing to open up the gas pumps.

Bluetana was developed with technical input from the United States Secret Service and is only available to law enforcement officials and gas pump inspectors. It will not be available to the general public. It is now used by agencies in several states.

«Our goal is to give field agents the best tools for the job available today,» said Kirill Levchenko, a computer science professor at the University of Illinois who earned his Ph.D. at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego. «We’ve found that Bluetana helps agents find more gas stations with skimmers — and to find more skimmers at those gas stations.»

The researchers found that, compared to similar apps currently available for smartphones, Bluetana is likely to discover more skimmers and results in a much lower false positive rate. «Bluetooth technology used in these skimmers are also used for legitimate products commonly seen at and near gas stations such as speed-limit signs, weather sensors and fleet tracking systems,» said Bhaskar. «These products can be mistaken for skimmers by existing detection apps.»

Bluetana uses an algorithm developed by the researchers to distinguish skimmers from legitimate Bluetooth devices. The researchers designed the algorithm based on the results of a field study during which the researchers analyzed scans of Bluetooth devices taken by officials at 1,185 gas stations in six U.S. states.

Story Source: Materials provided by University of California — San Diego. Original written by Ioana Patringenaru. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.