Hezbollah’s exploding pagers to fuel widespread MidEast consumer electronic fears
Brazen Israel-linked attacks could presage a new age of warfare, where the Internet of Things and everyday tech can be weaponized at scale.
The deadly wave of exploding pagers that erupted across Lebanon starting Sept. 17 and spread to walkie-talkies the following day has done much more than sow chaos for Hezbollah.
Reverberations from this shock attack — widely attributed to Israel — are set to be felt globally by sparking fears that mundane devices that power our everyday lives could now become bombs hidden in plain sight.
“I expect that there will be a knee-jerk reaction among device-owners and consumer electronics retailers that 'all' devices are at risk,” said Andrew Kitson, head of technology and telecoms research at BMI, part of Fitch Solutions. Of course, they aren’t all at risk, he told Al-Monitor, but the damage could already be done.
Although this brazen act of sabotage exploited old-school technology, the sophistication and scale of this broadside against Hezbollah has already fueled fears in the media about the safety of consumer electronics in an age where the Internet of Things increasingly touches our lives, from our cars to coffee makers.
