Remotely Exploding Pagers
Wow.
It seems they all exploded simultaneously, which means they were triggered.
Were they each tampered with physically, or did someone figure out how to trigger a thermal runaway remotely? Supply chain attack? Malicious code update, or natural vulnerability?
I have no idea, but I expect we will all learn over the next few days.
EDITED TO ADD: I’m reading nine killed and 2,800 injured. That’s a lot of collateral damage. (I haven’t seen a good number as to the number of pagers yet.)
EDITED TO ADD: Reuters writes: “The pagers that detonated were the latest model brought in by Hezbollah in recent months, three security sources said.” That implies supply chain attack. And it seems to be a large detonation for an overloaded battery.
This reminds me of the 1996 assassination of Yahya Ayyash using a booby trapped cellphone.
EDITED TO ADD: I am deleting political comments. On this blog, let’s stick to the tech and the security ramifications of the threat.
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p id=”powered”>Sidebar photo of Bruce Schneier by Joe MacInnis.