I'm sure you've all seen the news:
On the afternoon of September 17, 2024 local time, a series of BP machine explosions occurred in many places across Lebanon, which has killed 9 people and injured about 2,800 people, of which about 200 are in critical condition. This incident has attracted widespread attention and discussion around the world, and has also led to new changes in the local situation.
Footage from the scene of the explosion:
Next, Xiao Zaojun, as a veteran communication driver, will interpret this incident for you from a technical point of view.
█ What is a BP machine?
Many young people today may not have heard of BP machines, let alone used BP machines.
BP machine, commonly known as pager, also called pager, call machine, is an old-fashioned radio receiving equipment.
It can receive the paging signal sent by the network side (communication base station), convert it into a number, letter or Chinese character message, and display it to the user through the display screen.
In addition, the BP machine also has an audible reminder or vibration reminder function to ensure that users do not miss important information.
The world's first BP machine was born in 1948 from Bell Labs and was named BellBoy. In the 1950s and 60s, under the impetus of Motorola, BP machines gradually began to be popularized and widely used around the world.
The BP machine entered China in 1983. Throughout the 80s and 90s, pagers were a very popular communication tool. Compared to landlines, it is mobile. And compared to mobile phones, it is cheaper. Therefore, it is well received by users.
Later, because the tariffs of fixed lines and mobile phones continued to decline, BP machines were gradually eliminated and drowned in the trend of history.
█ Why is Lebanon still using BP machines?
The reason for the BP machine explosion in Lebanon shows that they still use BP machines in large quantities.
The specific reason, as the news said, is that the Lebanon Allah Party fighters switched to BP machines for communication in order to avoid Israel tracking their geographical location through mobile phones.
Locating, tracking, and attacking through mobile phones have long been common.
In 1996, Dudayev, the leader of Chechen militants, used a satellite phone outside Grozny, only to be intercepted by Russia and killed directly with a precision-guided missile. Soleimani in Iran in 2020, as well as several major casualties on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield in recent years, are all related to mobile phone positioning.
Therefore, everyone knows that mobile phones are very dangerous in war zones and cannot be used at will.
If the mobile phone can't be used, some people will set their sights on the BP machine, such as the Lebanon Allah party. They believe that this old-fashioned communication tool will not be tracked and there is no risk. So, in February this year, the Lebanon Allah party leader ordered members to stop using mobile phones and switch to BP machines.
But it turns out that BP machines are also unsafe.
█ What was the cause of the explosion of the BP machine?
According to the information gathered so far, there are a few details:
1. Before the explosion, the pagers received a message that appeared to be from the leadership of Allah. It seems that this message detonated the explosives.
2. An unnamed Allah official told the Wall Street Journal that during the incident, some Allah members sensed their pagers starting to heat up and discarded them before they exploded. The official speculated that the devices may have heated up and exploded due to malware.
3. A Allah official said the new pager carried by Allah members was equipped with lithium batteries that would smoke, melt and even catch fire when overheated.
4. Independent cybersecurity experts who have studied the video of the attack said the intensity and speed of the explosion were apparently caused by an explosive.
5. Sean Moorhouse, a former United Kingdom Army officer and explosive ordnance ·disposal expert, said the video of the explosion showed small explosives about the size of a pencil eraser placed in the device. He said the explosives must have been modified before they were dropped.
6. The model of the pager where the explosion occurred was the Apollo rugged pager (AR-924), from Taiwan Gold Apollo Company.
Based on the above information, you can probably figure it out:
The Lebanon Allah Party purchased a batch of BP machines from the Taiwan Gold Apollo company through certain channels. However, during the transport, the BP machine was tampered with, planted with explosives (or simply dropped the package). At around 3:30 p.m. on September 17, a message from the network side triggered some hidden designs in the BP machine (it may be that the BP side made software design changes to produce different responses), which detonated the explosives, causing the explosion to occur.
It was a well-planned attack. In addition to the "package dropping" or "transformation" in the logistics and transportation process of the BP machine, the key lies in the cooperation of the network side.
A wireless paging system consists of multiple key components such as a pager, a base station, and a paging center. This wireless paging system in the local area should not be dedicated to Allah, but is intended to provide services to the public.
Wireless paging system architecture
In this case, a certain force that launched the attack needs to first obtain the identity information of the armed personnel of Allah and the corresponding paging numbers, and then invade the paging center and issue special command signals for these numbers.
At present, it is not the command that directly triggers the explosion, but the command that triggers the internal circuit to overheat (the software code forcibly overloads the circuit), which in turn indirectly detonates the explosive. (According to the picture, it is true that it is not like a simple lithium battery explosion, there should be a separate small amount of explosives, such as explosives.) ）
The whole process can be said to be interlocking and scary.
█ What warning did the incident raise?
The large-scale explosion of the BP machine has created a new model of cyber attacks, and has once again demonstrated the power of information warfare and cyber warfare.
As far as China is concerned, we don't use BP machines at the moment, but that doesn't mean that this matter has nothing to do with us. It's a wake-up call that we face a huge challenge when it comes to cybersecurity.
First of all, the supply chain of network equipment is extremely important.
Previously, we focused primarily on manufacturing manufacturers. Now it seems that our end products such as mobile phones and computers must not only be manufactured by reliable companies, but also must go through a secure supply chain to avoid being planted with explosives or tracking devices along the way. In the process of use, it is also necessary to be careful of being "tampered with".
As special industries and units (such as the military and the government, etc.), special attention should be paid to this aspect. As a business, we also face the risk of commercial espionage, and we should also pay attention to it. Relevant testing methods and institutional processes must keep up.
Secondly, with the development of the Internet of Everything, the types of digital terminals are becoming more and more diverse, which also means that the possibility of being implanted with risky devices is also increasing. All kinds of IoT devices may be at risk of implantation.
Nowadays, many infrastructures, including cars, trains, airplanes, power grids, water networks, gas networks, etc., are equipped with a large number of digital devices and have network communication capabilities.
All systems have the potential to be targeted. The method of attack may be eavesdropping or data theft, tampering, downtime or formatting, or even explosion or self-destruction.
Fast & Furious 8 movie clip: A large number of cars are remotely controlled
Third, for devices working on public communication networks, the defense pressure on the network side will increase and the risk will increase.
Whether it is a hostile force or a terrorist organization, it is possible to attack through the network side, thus causing greater destructive power.
Of course, there is no need to panic too much. The vast majority of ordinary users do not face such great security risks and threats. The mobile phones and other terminal devices we use are safe and reliable.
However, security awareness must be there. In particular, special attention should be paid to key departments or units, as well as special populations. Of course, in recent years, many units have carried out security reinforcement and security offensive and defensive drills, and they have already taken action.
The international security situation facing our country is still very complicated. Cyber warfare may seem far away from us, but it is actually very close. This is a "battlefield without gunpowder", but victory or defeat is also related to the safety of life and property, the overall national strategy, and even the survival of the nation.
Only by further strengthening the national awareness of network security, in-depth research on the defense technology of network security, and making careful arrangements in laws and regulations and top-level design, can we occupy a favorable position in the game and ensure that the interests of the country and the people are not harmed.