New Delhi: The pager explosions in Lebanon on Tuesday have shaken the world. In the age of mobile phones, the use of pagers and the news of explosions in them has made everyone suspicious whether their smartphones can also explode like this. So far no country or organization has taken any responsibility in this regard, but Hezbollah has accused Israel of being behind this. In such a situation, let us know the answer to the biggest question that how can pagers explode?

what is a pager

A pager or beeper is a small, portable electronic device used to receive alphanumeric or voice messages. It was widely used in the 1990s and earlier, before the advent of mobile phones. How does it work? A pager often receives radio signals only on specific frequencies in the VHF or UHF bands.

When someone wants to contact the pager user, he or she transmits a specific code, message or wire message. Usually, its battery lasts a long time. It can also be used in areas where the mobile phone network is weak or nonexistent.

Advantages of pagers

Pagers receive messages quickly and instantly. In emergency situations, it is very useful to get the required message quickly. Their small and light size makes them portable and can be easily carried anywhere.

Compared to mobile phones, they have a longer battery life. Since they do not have a phone number or SIM card, pagers offer privacy and a high level of reliability. DisadvantagesPagers are a one-way means of communication, meaning there is no way to contact back or reply after receiving a message. Their cost and service providers are often expensive. They are mainly based on analog radio technology.

Possible reasons why the pager exploded

First

It is being said that the lithium-ion battery present in the pager used by Hezbollah fighters is the possible cause of the explosion. Actually, lithium-ion batteries are commonly used in consumer electronics. However, in many cases they can also explode dangerously. In the past, there have been many incidents of explosions and fire in mobile phones.

Scientifically, lithium-ion batteries explode due to a phenomenon called thermal runaway. It is a chemical chain reaction that starts when the temperature of the battery changes rapidly. As this chain reaction progresses, its increasing energy can suddenly explode like a tiny bomb with immense heat and speed trying to escape. Thermal runaway can also occur when a battery is either overheated, punctured or overcharged.

Pagers typically use unencrypted communications channels and outdated software. This makes them very vulnerable to attack. It is possible that an adversary of Hezbollah may have captured the pager's broadcast signal and planted a virus that causes the battery to overheat when activated.

Second

The mass explosions of such a large number of Lebanese pagers would have required both precisely timed intelligence and technical capability. Since the Gaza conflict began last year, Hezbollah has warned its fighters not to use mobile phones for fear they could be tampered with by Israeli intelligence agents.

In 1996, Israel's Shin Bet agency killed a Hamas bomb maker by planting explosives in his phone. Hezbollah had recently distributed the latest smuggled pagers to its fighters. Hezbollah has no doubt that Israel was behind this, having quietly added to the supply of those pagers and made some changes.

A former army ammunition expert, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the media that the pager would be fitted with fake parts filled with military-grade high explosives weighing between 10 and 20 grams. It would be equipped with a signal of alphanumeric text message. Once activated, the person using the pager would inadvertently trigger the explosive to explode. So far less than one percent of the pagers that have exploded have proved fatal, but it is a major psychological blow to Hezbollah, with thousands injured.

third

If these pagers were not filled with small explosives, then this could be considered the most devastating cyber attack in history that causes bodily harm. There is also a possibility that these pagers may have been attacked by a virus, which caused a short circuit or overcharging in their batteries and they exploded due to thermal runaway. However, to prevent the battery from failing, most devices are fitted with a software called Battery Management System (BMS), which tells the system how much the battery will be charged and discharged.

Usually the BMS is programmed at the factory and cannot be changed to prevent tampering, but experts have warned that certain attacks can put the BMS at risk. That is, theoretically it is possible for the battery to send a message of overcharging and as a result thermal runaway can be initiated. However, in practice the chances of this happening are very low.

Most devices cannot change their BMS and therefore cannot be hacked, and there are not many viruses that are capable of spreading so quickly and in such massive numbers. The pagers that exploded in this attack are particularly vulnerable due to the fact that pagers are passive receivers. This means that a signal can be captured and sent across the network. And because pagers are older devices, they do not have the advanced cybersecurity features to prevent such a devastating attack.

last thing

Unlike these pagers, the Apple or Android phone in your pocket or by your side is much less likely to be a target of such a large-scale attack because of the many security features that are built in. However, nothing is absolutely secure.