Important warning from an expert evaluating the attack in Lebanon: 'Your phones can be detonated remotely'
The cyberattack carried out by Israel against Hezbollah members in Lebanon has caused a bombshell effect on the world agenda. While 9 people lost their lives in the attack, 2,750 others were injured. The fact that the attack was carried out remotely has raised the question of how secure the phones in our pockets really are.
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While it is said that the attack, which was carried out by remotely accessing pagers, was performed by heating the batteries of the devices used, a cybersecurity expert issued a flash warning regarding the events.
Speaking on the program Kayda Geçsin hosted by Şule Aydın on Halk TV, Cybersecurity Expert Ersin Çahmutoğlu stated that all phones could be detonated remotely.
CAN IT BE USED ON EVERY DEVICE?
"If we are talking about a physically placed device, it is important whether it is in another device or not; physical intervention is required. But if we are talking about a software vulnerability, it could be in many devices, just like the devices used by Hezbollah members. Let me give you an example. To explain the seriousness of the matter, even the latest model, most luxurious, and most expensive mobile phone could be hacked very easily about 3 years ago. By an Israeli cyber intelligence software. This can be done today as well. Because they found a vulnerability and developed software suitable for it. They listened to hundreds of thousands of people in this way."
"OUR PHONES CAN ALSO BE DETONATED"
Barış Pehlivan asked the cybersecurity expert, "I have a phone in my hand, and this issue of the phone exploding is through the battery. Can someone from the outside hack my phone connected to the internet and heat up the battery to make it explode?" He received the following response:
"It can definitely detonate it. If we are talking about a device connected to the internet, it is possible. Even if it is not connected to the internet, it can happen if spyware has infiltrated that phone or that device. These softwares are very powerful. They can turn your phone on and off instantly and record audio. These are not unlikely possibilities."
WHICH COUNTRIES ARE USING IT?
"No one can know this; only that country's intelligence knows it. If we speak with the information reflected in the press, we see that Israel has shown incredible development in this regard over the last 5-6 years.
It is truly powerful in this regard. It provides both financial gain and intelligence gain. Apart from that, countries like the USA and the UK are also quite ambitious countries in this field.
Developed countries possess these technologies, and most of them have not been exposed. There was a nightmare called 'Pegasus' years ago; even that only came to light after 4-5 years."