Disqus
This latest security vulnerability hits along the same lines as the recently fixed Nokia “Curse of Silence” bug that caused S60-based smartphones to stop accepting SMS text messages upon receiving a specifically formatted text message. A new security hole has been found to affect some Sony Ericsson handset that allows some malicious ne’er-do-well to force a hardware reboot with a simple text message.
Mobile security researchers at Mobile Security Lab have discovered a vulnerability that “allows an attacker to remotely reboot a vulnerable [Sony Ericsson] handset by sending a malformed WAP Push message” Even worse, the WAP Push message can be delivered via SMS text message. The messages are buffered by the wireless carrier while the handset is powered off, waiting for the handset to receive the malicious text message and reboot again. Picture your Sony Ericsson handset rebooting endlessly for no apparent reason. Not good.
The following handsets are proven to be vulnerable to this “WAP Push message denial of service attack:”
W910i
W660i
K618i
K610i
Z610i
K810i
K660i
W880i
K530i
Handsets based on the same platforms as the listed hardware are also assumed to be vulnerable. So, watch yourselves!
Unfortunately, there is no known solution or fix at this time.
The video below shows just how bad it can get.
[Via: EngadgetMobile]
About The Author
Will Park
Will hails from The City of Angels - Los Angeles, California. He spends his time playing with his numerous gadgets and looking forward to seeing what future holds for mobile technology. An avid promoter of a fully "digital" life, he promotes the widespread adoption of truly mobile, paper-less living. He dreams of the day when he can go completely digital. No more snail mail, paper receipts, bound books, notepads/spiral notebooks, credit cards, hard currency. He's a digital warrior - fighting for the converged life. He is an idealist and a realist - he has a perfect view of what the world should be but knows that the world is not perfect. Can we ever hope to see Will's dream become reality? We'll see...
