More than two thousand people were injured, and eight were killed following the explosion of pagers, also know as beepers, used by Hezbollah members on Tuesday afternoon. This is Beirut spoke with cybersecurity expert Khalil Sehnaoui to better understand the incident.
What is a pager, and why does Hezbollah use it?
A pager is a mostly one-way communication device that receives text messages or alerts. Though widely used in the 1990s and 2000s, it continues to serve specific industries, such as hospitals and healthcare settings, due to its reliability in quickly delivering notifications.
In any conflict zone, leveraging traditional communication methods can be a savvy strategy for bypassing modern surveillance systems. Their distinct advantage lies in their independence from the internet, which helps maintain security and discretion.
Additionally, conventional communication systems are often overlooked. This approach naturally evades suspicion and monitoring, much like using carrier pigeons to send messages.
How do you infiltrate a pager?
First, you would have to discover its use. A spy might have spotted a device on one of Hezbollah’s members.
Several scenarios could then be considered. If the pager’s model is known, a message could be sent to activate a function that overloads the device, causing the battery to overheat and potentially explode – similar to the incidents observed with certain Samsung devices in recent years.
Another possibility is that the devices were tampered with before being delivered. According to the information available so far, the pagers that exploded might have come from the same recently purchased batch. If so, a vulnerability may have been intentionally embedded in the system and later activated by a specific message sent to the device, causing it to overheat.
Additionally, explosives experts, having observed the nature of the explosions and the damage caused, have suggested that a small amount of explosive material could have been concealed within the devices. Thus, the devices may have been sabotaged before they were sold.
Are pagers used by healthcare workers also vulnerable to these infiltrations?
In theory, yes – if the vulnerability involves battery overheating, those pagers could also be at risk. However, the level of risk depends on the device model and the communication frequencies in use.
For instance, many modern pagers come with built-in safety features, such as automatic shutdown mechanisms if overheating occurs.
Regardless, it’s crucial for all pager users to stay alert for any signs of malfunction, overheating or any strange messages. As a precaution, turning off these devices for 24 hours could be wise until more information is available and the situation clarified.
