Can phones be rigged to explode like the pagers in Lebanon? Experts say it's possible — but unlikely

The series of deadly explosions of devices owned by Hezbollah members this week has raised some questions about whether the average smartphone owner should be concerned that their device could also be remotely set to explode.

But security experts are downplaying the potential threat posed by such devices, saying it's highly improbable that the average person's phone is at risk of exploding like the pagers and walkie-talkies that blew up in Lebanon this week, killing dozens and wounding around 3,000.

"The concern is understandable and it's technically possible, but it's generally unlikely," said Hadis Karimipour, Canada Research Chair in secure and resilient cyber-physical systems at the University of Calgary. 

She and other security experts say it's important to note that outside agents had gained physical access to the pagers and modified them before they exploded.

Although Israel has neither confirmed or denied its involvement in the explosions, it is widely believed that intelligence officials from the country were responsible for the attacks.

It is believed the devices may have been intercepted at some point in the manufacturing supply chain, where an explosive was inserted, along with some kind of trigger mechanism. Or, as was reported by the New York Times, the devices were manufactured by a front company. 

Either way, Karimpour says, "that's something that needs a high level of sophistication and intention," and she notes that it's "not something that can happen" during the regular smartphone manufacturing process. 

For a smartphone to be similarly compromised, Karimipour says, it would require access to the phones at the hardware level within the manufacturing chain.

She says it's "very, very difficult" to get access to this process with major brands because of the level of quality control.

Josep Jornet, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern University and the associate director of the school's Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things, says it's also important to note that the technology used in pagers is very old.

If you opened an old electronic device, for example, Jornet says you'd be able to see most of the components and potentially add something by hand.

But with a smartphone, he says just opening it can be a challenge as it's sealed to be waterproof. However, once opened, you'd find many black chips, or integrated circuits on a piece of silicon. 

"It's very hard to to do something to a phone at that level with your hands without someone noticing," he said. "So it's going to be very difficult to add explosives to your phones."

 However, Jornet did say that it would be possible for highly skilled individuals to take control of your phone remotely, whether or not there's an explosive inside.