ALBAWABA - Lebanon experienced a consecutive wave of wireless device explosions in the past two days, targeting pager and walkie-talkie devices used by Hezbollah members. Many people now are worried that their devices could explode at any moment.
Pager explosions in Lebanon
On Tuesday, Lebanon witnessed the explosion of thousands of pagers, wireless telecommunications devices that receive and display alphanumeric or voice messages. It is worth noting that pager devices are widely used by Hezbollah group members. In the recent explosive incidents, 32 people were killed and more than 3,000 were injured.
Walkie-talkie devices, a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver, were also targeted yesterday in a new explosion. Both devices are used by Hezbollah members to avoid interception of their communications and to send encrypted messages without revealing their locations to the Israeli Intelligence Community.
According to the New York Times, Hezbollah imported more than 3000 pager devices from Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese manufacturer of wireless paging systems. Israel managed to plant explosives inside the pagers before they were received by Hezbollah earlier this year, aiming to carry out large-scale explosive incidents targeting the group.
Smartphones are not at risk unless they are modified or implanted, according to experts. (Shutterstock)
Robert Graham, a cyber security expert, said: “Making batteries do anything more than burn is very hard and implausible. Far more plausible is that somebody bribed the factory to insert the explosives.”
Can smartphones explode?
However, experts confirmed that smartphones are not at risk unless they are modified or implanted, they also called on people to relax and not to freak out as nothing to worry about.
Explosive devices typically consist of five components: a container, a battery, a trigger, a detonator, and an explosive charge. Pager devices contain three of those components, making them an easy target for explosives, according to a former British Army officer specializing in explosives.
Experts say smartphones are not at risk of exploding unless they are modified or implanted. Moreover, unlike pagers, smartphones are less likely to explode when their batteries overheat, due to their protection systems.
Recent explosive incidents in Lebanon raised concerns about cybersecurity and internet-connected devices. Scientists and experts believe there is an urgent need now to strengthen security measures for smart devices at all stages, including manufacturing and distribution.
