Report: How Were Pager Communication Devices Hacked in Lebanon?: Analysts Identify Possible Mechanisms Behind Device Hacking:
A “trigger activated by a central message” likely caused battery overheating through a short circuit.
Potential vulnerabilities exist in the encryption of communication waves,
possibly human intervention or the exploitation of a technical error in the devices recently obtained by the party.
This operation is part of the rapidly evolving technological war,
as Israel increasingly relies on cyberattacks and technology without incurring human losses.
The operation may have been carried out through malware
that caused battery overheating or a charge placed in the devices to detonate them remotely.
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Details of the Explosion
On Tuesday, September 17, Hezbollah in Lebanon experienced the largest security breach of its kind,
resulting in explosions of portable communication devices across Lebanon.
The party attributed the incident to Israel and vowed to retaliate.
The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates
described the incident as an “Israeli cyberattack”
that led to the explosion of a large number of pager devices in several Lebanese regions,
initially resulting in eight deaths, including children, and 2,800 injuries.
Considering the incident a cyber breach,
it comes at a time of escalating tensions and confrontations in the region, especially since October 7,
the start of the war in Gaza.
This raises questions about how such breaches occur,
allowing hackers to access devices in users’ possession and carry out explosions.
Why were these particular devices targeted?
Complex Operation
From the United States, Ahmed Banafa, an academic advisor at San Jose State University
specializing in blockchain technology and cybersecurity, stated:
“The cyberattack on the pagers (Hezbollah’s portable communication devices)
resulted from a complex plan involving multiple stages.
According to reports, Hezbollah recently distributed the pagers following the assassination of several individuals.
leading to the assumption that the attackers were aware of the new devices.”
This statement refers to what Reuters reported from security sources,
confirming that the communication devices that exploded
Hezbollah brought the latest models to Lebanon in recent months.
The cybersecurity expert continued:
“They (the hacking entity) managed to access the pagers, modify the batteries,
and add a trigger activated by a central message.
This caused the batteries to overheat, likely due to a short circuit, eventually leading to explosions.”
Banafa explained, “Battery temperatures can reach up to 590 degrees Celsius when they overheat,”
and noted that they chose the pagers,
low-level communication devices without encryption,
to avoid smartphone monitoring.However, the use of this outdated technology backfired,
as it remained vulnerable due to its wireless nature.
A Hezbollah official stated that the device explosions marked the
“biggest security breach” the party has faced during its ongoing war against Israel,
as reported by Reuters.
Report: How Were Pager Communication Devices Hacked in Lebanon?