Hacking Sony WH-CH720N Headphones

It has recently transpired that a large number of Bluetooth headphones are vulnerable to a particularly nasty attack and among them, Apple and Sony products, so I look at the ones I have as well.

My very first travel set of headphones, having both ANC (active noise cancelling), Bluetooth, wire and even one of those old airplane adapters was the venerable mdr-ex750na - they’re not sold anymore, but you can probably find the support page and manual (sny-old-pdf). The closest model in appearance and some features is Sony MDRAS800AD. I liked them precisely because the small form factor made it less likely that they will break in my backpack (a fate that many expensive, over the ear models typically met), and they were perfectly useable through the wire.

When pods in a charging case became popular (around the time Apple decided that it’s a good way to squeeze more money out of their cult by doing away with the jack, and every one else followed), I decided to try Jabra’s version (I think I got the first version that’s not sold anymore), and I would’ve liked them more, were it not for the short battery life and the token (weak) ANC.

I haven’t used either in a long time and I’m too lazy to check if they still work. I have long tried to avoid using headphones for as long as I’ve known that they’re not hearing friendly, and studies show that loss of hearing may soon bring about dementia (nih-hrdmnt). Yet you may occasionally find yourself in a noisy environment, and then you don’t have much of a choice in using them.

So when I came about another pair of over the ear headphones, I was quite impressed with the quality and battery life and I kept them: Sony WH-CH720N. They’re also so flexible that they are less likely to break. They even allow you to use them in wired mode, though I don’t often use them in that manner.

When I recently learned that the widely used Airoha chipset (better called cheapset) has a significant vulnerability that allows connection and even FOTA (firmware over the air) updates without authentication (yt-suths), I had to look up my own headphones and sure enough, mine is there and was even possibly the first they tested (ins-aroha).

I’m guessing all Sony and Apple BT headphones and pods suffer from this (thn-aplptchsb), but to be sure, the researchers provide a way to test it (gh-rctk).

Given how long this was known (thn-airoha), it’s remarkable that most guides published as late as 2026 fail to mention this issue and continue to recommend models known to suffer from this very serious issue.

*(*This article is unfinished – it was scheduled to appear in the hope that it will be finished before, but since this message is here and until it is removed, the article is to be considered work in progress*)*.

Sources / More info

1. sny-old-pdf,
2. nih-hrdmnt,
3. tr-bth,
4. thn-aplptchsb,
5. thn-airoha,
6. ins-airoha,
7. gh-rctk,
8. FRBS Best Wireless Headphones 2026. Forbes Vetted Tech Team. April 15, 2026.
9. SNDG Best headphones for travel - SoundGuys. Adam Birney. April 17, 2026.
10. CNTE Best Travel Headphones for 2026 - CNET. David Carnoy. May 01, 2026.
11. CNTR 7 Travel Headphones Our Editors Recommend for Long-Haul Flights | Conde Nast Traveler. Paris Wilson. July 02, 2026.
12. THBR 8 BEST Travel Headphones (for Adventuring). Ralph Cope. May 19, 2026.
13. NYTM The 4 Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones of 2026. Wirecutter Staff. June 15, 2026.
14. CNNC cnnu-bth-ef CNN Underscored Editors Favorite Headphones for Flying in 2026. CNN. June 20, 2026.

Thus Consumed Consumer (.org): #headphones, #sony, #vulnerability, #bluetooth, #bt, #sdk, #fota, #airbuds, #apple, #airpods, #earbuds, #anc, #noise-cancelling, #active noise cancelling (Tags)