If true, the tech requirements imply they could do this in any other country, or worldwide.
If true...
Israel took control of Gaza cellphones to stream PM Netanyahu's UN Speech live
11–20 of 82 posts
Re: Israel took control of Gaza cellphones to stream PM Netanyahu's UN Speech live
#12Sounds like boomer-speak for they sent one of those full-screen SMS messages (aka 'flash SMS') with a link to a livestream.
You guys read too much Tom Clancy.
If spammers can do it and send me links to phishing sites so can one of the most technologically-proficient governments. You really think they would waste multiple 0-days on some bullshit like this?
Re: Israel took control of Gaza cellphones to stream PM Netanyahu's UN Speech live
#13Axios reported this claim and also reported there have been no verified examples of a phone receiving the broadcast as of an hour ago. https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-pm-76a155d0-9b02-11f...
Israel often imposes internet blackouts in Gaza so it could also be likely that word just hasn’t made it out.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-hit-by-teleco...
Re: Israel took control of Gaza cellphones to stream PM Netanyahu's UN Speech live
#14I'd like more details. Did they really hack the phones? Or use the towers to call the phones with a message. Hacking every cellphone sounds unrealistic. Making a call to every phone connected to a tower sounds plausible.
I think it is more likely that the Israeli government would have abused Gaza's wireless emergency alert system to send a link to a live stream to every cell phone. AFAIK, emergency alert systems are limited to text messages but smartphones will recognise URLs to allow users to tap to open them.
But a user would have needed to actively tap on the link to open the stream.
Re: Israel took control of Gaza cellphones to stream PM Netanyahu's UN Speech live
#15Sounds like boomer-speak for they sent one of those full-screen SMS messages (aka 'flash SMS') with a link to a livestream. You guys read too much Tom Clancy. If spammers can do it and send me links to phishing sites so can one of the most technologically-proficient governments. You really think they would waste multiple 0-days on some bullshit like this?
> too much Tom Clancy.
Isn't this is the nation that planted explosives into pagers? I think they're the ones reading too much Clancy.
> so can one of the most technologically-proficient governments.
How would you feel if China did this to your nation? Would you marvel at their proficiency or perhaps focus on the complete lack of diplomacy it displays?
Re: Israel took control of Gaza cellphones to stream PM Netanyahu's UN Speech live
#16Every phone in Israel got a special message when missiles from Iran were fired.
No application, no nothing, just by the virtue of being connected to to an Israeli phone cell tower (it worked even on imported phones)
My understanding that it is a standard feature, this is how earthquake warning works in Japan.
Point being there is no "hacking" involved. Standard feature
Re: Israel took control of Gaza cellphones to stream PM Netanyahu's UN Speech live
#17Sounds like boomer-speak for they sent one of those full-screen SMS messages (aka 'flash SMS') with a link to a livestream. You guys read too much Tom Clancy. If spammers can do it and send me links to phishing sites so can one of the most technologically-proficient governments. You really think they would waste multiple 0-days on some bullshit like this?
> You guys read too much Tom Clancy.
Seymour Hersh, actually.
Re: Israel took control of Gaza cellphones to stream PM Netanyahu's UN Speech live
#18"Those who do not will be hunted" just feels gross. There's something sinister there
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Re: Israel took control of Gaza cellphones to stream PM Netanyahu's UN Speech live
#19[dead]
Re: Israel took control of Gaza cellphones to stream PM Netanyahu's UN Speech live
#20I'd like more details. Did they really hack the phones? Or use the towers to call the phones with a message. Hacking every cellphone sounds unrealistic. Making a call to every phone connected to a tower sounds plausible.
In the UK we recently had a test of the emergency alert system. Most people had an alarm and a message on screen, with phones locked. There were a few incidents of motorists ending up in road traffic accidents in the immediate aftermath, and some phones reportedly spoke the announcement rather than just beep loudly.
Since the 'beep' is just an audio file, my hunch is that some A/B testing was going on, with most people getting the 'beep' and some getting the message read out.
I imagine that broadcast capability is fully built in, so that mobile phones can replace what we had in the olden days when the government could take over the TV and radio to broadcast whatever they thought was important. I can't remember the last time that the U.S. President spoke to the people in this way, but it used to be fairly common.
I don't think that calling every phone is plausible. In a competitive telecoms market, no provider would build that out. Instead they would keep capacity just above what they know is needed on a daily basis.