Windows Phones message hub hit by killer SMS
Text of doom
A security flaw has been discovered in Microsoft's Windows Phone OS which allows hackers to disable a handset's messaging system by SMS.
A malicious text can be sent which stops the SMS service from working, WinRumours reports. A factory reset is the only way to remedy the issue.
Although the SMS content is hidden from view, the hack can be seen in the video below, where it reboots the device and cuts access to the messaging hub. It can also be triggered by sending a Facebook chat or Windows Live Messenger message.
The hacker who spotted the bug is said to be working directly with Microsoft to resolve the problem.
Text message viruses have been infiltrating smartphones for some time. A couple of years ago, an SMS hack for iPhone was discovered, allowing those who used it access to a device remotely. ®
COMMENTS
Can somebody...
Send it to my step daughter? Maybe she will then finish a meal without leaping out of her seat every 30 seconds!
Working urgently on a fix ?
Why not just tell the 5 people who use Windows Phone, and be done with it.
From RFC 791 back in 1981:
"...an implementation must be conservative in its sending behavior, and liberal in its receiving behavior. That is, it must be careful to send well-formed datagrams, but must accept any datagram that it can interpret..."
OK, so RFC791 wasn't written for SMS messages, but the core meaning still applies.
If you want to go further back in history: George Santayana back in 1905 (ish)
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"
