Home > Current Affairs News > Cyberattack by Israel on Hezbollah: High-tech expert Tuncay Uludağ had warned about phone batteries, calling them 'ticking time bombs'

Cyberattack by Israel on Hezbollah: High-tech expert Tuncay Uludağ had warned about phone batteries, calling them 'ticking time bombs'

The cyberattack carried out by Israel in Lebanon by infiltrating handheld pagers used by Hezbollah resulted in at least 10 deaths and nearly 3,000 injuries. Warnings made in 2020 by Armoya High Technology CEO Tuncay Uludağ regarding battery management systems (BMS) in mobile phones have resurfaced. Uludağ had drawn attention to similar attacks, stating, "Batteries can be made to explode by remotely interfering with BMS systems; this is a major danger."

12punto

Israel infiltrated handheld pagers used by the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon. At least 10 people lost their lives and nearly 3,000 were injured as a result of the devices exploding. This attack, which shocked the world, raised the question of whether people's own mobile phones are safe. On the other hand, it has led to a renewed discussion of global cyberattacks and cybersecurity issues.

While experts have been making various statements and comments on the subject, the warning made in 2020 by Armoya High Technology CEO and co-founder Tuncay Uludağ regarding the BMS found in mobile phones has become a hot topic.

Uludağ wrote the following 4 years ago:

'BATTERIES CAN BE EXPLODED WITH OVERLOAD'

"BMS, or battery management systems, in mobile phones should be in a fixed structure that is not updated remotely. HOWEVER, in recent phones, BMS is updated remotely. This is a huge danger because by updating the BMS in a targeted country, batteries can be exploded with an overload. Phones use Li-ion batteries. Li-ion has chemical properties that cannot be extinguished with water. BMS is the hardware and software that manages these batteries. A mistake made in the software, whether intentional or unintentional, is enough to set all phones in a country on fire in seconds."

'EVERY BATTERY THAT CAN BE CONTROLLED REMOTELY IS A TICKING TIME BOMB'

Making statements following yesterday's cyberattack, Uludağ quoted his old post and said, "Mobile phone and electric vehicle batteries can be exploded by remotely interfering with their BMS systems. That is why I reacted to the introduction of BMS updates to phones in 2020; it is not too late to take precautions. Every battery that can be controlled remotely = TICKING TIME BOMB."

Uludağ concluded his post with the following statements:

"This is exactly what I explained in 2020 and said that countries should take precautions; all countries should learn a lesson and take measures from the fact that lithium-ion batteries were exploded like bombs by remotely interfering with the BMS systems of state-of-the-art pagers in Lebanon."