Mastodawn

Charlie Stross Dec 6, 2024

Reading @pluralistic's take on battery bombs and security theatre here:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/12/06/shoenabombers/#paging-dick-cheney

I was struck by an idea ...

1. Supply chain attack on iPhones to install PETN battery bombs and malware
2. Malware on iPhone bombs tracks location and looks for barometric pressure reported by a Watch Ultra (they have an altimeter)
3. Phone set to explode when Watch visits an airport then altitude increases from surface level to over 2000 metres in under 5 minutes

Brrr!

Pluralistic: Battery rationality (06 Dec 2024) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow

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Charlie Stross Dec 6, 2024

It'd cost more than the Israeli pager attack on Hezbollah, and targets are more limited (need high end phone AND a fancy smart watch), but potential for a sudden multiple bombing of airliners with no prior notice and no reasonable way ot detecting it in advance is there.

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David Wintheiser

@cstross Not convinced this would be as effective or undetectable as advertised.

1. The form factor of a pager has been fixed for years and is mainly ergonomic. As components get smaller, there’s little reason to make the device smaller, especially if that would make it harder to use. An iPhone’s form factor, on the other hand, has always been “as compact as possible”, which leaves far less room for any kind of bonus explosive device.