Just to be clear, the pager thing wasn’t exploding batteries, they had apparently been modified at the production level to have explosives in them, which could be triggered by the pager system itself.
The reason we don’t see exploding battery attacks more often is not because it’s technically hard, it’s because the erosion of public trust in everyday things isn’t worth it.
Submitted 1 month ago by cypherpunks@lemmy.ml to technology@lemmy.world
https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/2024/turning-everyday-gadgets-into-bombs-is-a-bad-idea/
Comments
Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee 1 month ago
cypherpunks@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
Did you read the article? It sounds like you didn’t.
breadsmasher@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Did you read it?
The article literally talks about inserting an explosive layer inside the battery at production. Just like the comment said.
It isn’t “any batteries can explode”.
Reports indicate the explosive payload in the cells is made of PETN.
Such a sheet could be inserted into the battery fold-and-stack process, after the first fold is made (or, with some effort, perhaps PETN could be incorporated into the spacer polymer itself – but let’s assume for now it’s just a drop-in sheet, which is easy to execute and likely effective)
ContrarianTrail@lemm.ee 1 month ago
Most other people wont be reading it either so I don’t see an issue with pointing out the obvious misconception people could make based on the headline that talks about exploding batteries.
Maggoty@lemmy.world 1 month ago
It’s also a big ass war crime. And if you did it habitually as anyone other than the West you could expect a visit from the US military. Inside the West you’d likely end up in prison. Except Israel. Israel is just immune to everything because uhhh… Because… Well nobody actually has a good reason.
MrScottyTay@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Because people are scared to be seen as an anti-Semite if you are critical of a Jewish state and their wrongdoings.
This is how Jeremy Corbyn got slammed as being an anti-Semite across the media and eventually kicked out of the labour party.
Ilandar@aussie.zone 1 month ago
Corbyn was also good friends with Ken Livingstone, who said some very strange things about Hitler and the Jews.
AWittyUsername@lemmy.world 1 month ago
The jewish chronicle to thank for that.
RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Even though your edit clarified it, I wish we’d stop calling them “exploding batteries”. The battery isn’t the explosive, it’s the explosives that were hidden in the device. I’ve already encountered far too many morons describing conspiracies where the big bad government could make your iPhone explode.
grudan@programming.dev 1 month ago
Title felt misleading.
cypherpunks@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
I wish we’d stop calling them “exploding batteries”. The battery isn’t the explosive, it’s the explosives that were hidden in the device.
Do you want to stop calling them exploding pagers too? How about other exploding things? And what should en.wikipedia.org/…/2024_Lebanon_pager_explosions be renamed to? Maybe 2024 Lebanon explosions of explosives inside of pagers? 🙄
jdeath@lemm.ee 1 month ago
but the article is about exploding batteries, no?
Crashumbc@lemmy.world 1 month ago
That’s like saying exploding cars when you’re really talking about a bomb placed in a car…
ashar@infosec.pub 1 month ago
Sending out IEDs that will probably explode in a supermarket and kill civilians is generally considered a war crime. So far 2 kids killed in Beirut by the Israeli bombs in devices.
roofuskit@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Exterminating the next generation of people who would live on the land they want to steal is the goal.
therealjcdenton@lemmy.zip 1 month ago
I don’t think terrorists care about the people’s trust in everyday things
ryathal@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
We don’t see exploding batteries more because most militaries are better about securing their supply chain.
geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
The attack hit many civilians. For militaires it might be feasible to secure their chain. For terror attacks, which this was, it would be far more difficult.
SoJB@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
Really glad to hear the dead 8 year old girl was Khamas. I’m sure the dozen children that will be shot in the head today will be relieved once they find out they were Khamas as well and deserved to be shot in the head.
chuckleslord@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Did you hit your head? This comment makes no sense
echodot@feddit.uk 1 month ago
And also because it’s impossible.
So it is actually in fact very hard. What they had was exploding explosives which are not hard.
cypherpunks@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
Since apparently many people aren’t reading the article: It is about how cheap it actually is (eg $15,000) to buy a complete production line to be able to manufacture batteries with a layer of nearly-undetectable explosives inside of them, which can be triggered by off-the-shelf devices with only their firmware modified.
echodot@feddit.uk 1 month ago
Right, so why you editorializing the title to say something that the article in fact does not say?
SlopppyEngineer@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Lithium burns intensely but it doesn’t explode. An electric car can burn for a long time, but they don’t explode. One of the comments days 6 so
I understand that what happened in Libanon was that dedicated explosives were added to the devices, it was not the batteries exploding. But that does not take away the conclusion of your story.
It shouldn’t be undetectable. Throw a device from s series into a fire as a spot check and if it burns it’s ok, if it explodes give the entire series to your enemy’s kids to play with.
vzq@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 month ago
Throw a device from s series into a fire as a spot check and if it burns it’s ok, if it explodes give the entire series to your enemy’s kids to play with.
Most high explosives burn unless detonated properly.
This is really basic stuff. I don’t think you should be out and about giving people advice about handling (potential) explosives.
NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 1 month ago
I am not an explosives expert, but I’ve seen enough YouTube videos about explosives to know that not all explosives explode in fire. Some are incredibly stable at extreme conditions right up until deliberately triggered. It all depends on the type of explosives.
There may still be ways to detect them, but it’s not necessarily going to be that simple.
echodot@feddit.uk 1 month ago
Yes that’s correct high explosives require a starter explosive. However this doctor explosive would also have to be incorporated into the device and the starter explosive is triggered by a spark or a fire. So throwing it in a fire would still work as a test you’d just have to make sure it totally melted before concluding anything.
cypherpunks@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
Did you read the article? It sounds like you didn’t.
iamanurd@midwest.social 1 month ago
Are you able to say anything but that?
ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
Heads up, I don’t think C4 explodes when burned. I think it requires electronic detonation or a blasting cap.
SlopppyEngineer@lemmy.world 1 month ago
It’s right next to or in a high intensity lithium fire, not just a normal little flame. That should alter the equation somewhat.
dyslexicdainbroner@lemmy.world 1 month ago
PETN was put into the batteries
Crashumbc@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Yeah that has getting put on a list written all over it …
Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee 1 month ago
It depends on the explosive, C-4, and I think all plastic explosives, will burn in a fire.
tal@lemmy.today 1 month ago
Context: bunniestudios.com is run by bunnie, the guy who was involved with the hardware side of breaking DRM on the original XBox; he later went into consumer electronics manufacturing.
LesserAbe@lemmy.world 1 month ago
But I don’t want my devices to be bombs
PenisDuckCuck9001@lemmynsfw.com 1 month ago
I’m saving this. Not because I want to make bombs, but if it really is that easy to make lithium batteries then knowing about the process will be beneficial someday.
Blackmist@feddit.uk 1 month ago
It’s not just the batteries, you need a way to blow them up remotely and reliably.
This wasn’t just some wonky batteries shoved into legit devices. This was an entire operation to make fake pagers and walkie talkies. The batteries were probably the only legit things in them.
Fortunately these are simple devices that you can probably replicate the guts of with a few dollars of off the shelf parts. You’re not going to be able to fake an iPhone like this. Cheaper to just drop bombs at that point. And tbh, if it was something expensive like an iPhone, Hezbollah wouldn’t have bought a thousand of them.
OpenPassageways@lemmy.zip 1 month ago
I’ll never look at my phone the same way again
FarceOfWill@infosec.pub 1 month ago
Jfc Christ Lemmy.
Every single comment misunderstanding the point. The batteries are exploding because there’s explosives in them. This does make them exploding batteries. The explode because they are partially made with explosives. Please don’t well actually this.
No this is not a description of something Israel did, it’s a hypothetical way to do a similar attack to show how within reach of idiot terrorists it is.
Raising the idea of doing this so everyone is thinking about it is extremely bad for us all. Thanks Israel.
db2@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?
kevindqc@lemmy.world 1 month ago
8000gnat@reddthat.com 1 month ago
even electronic brain pancake crystal elderly
FarceOfWill@infosec.pub 1 month ago
Did it really need quotes?
Please don’t “well actually” this
Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee 1 month ago
No, it doesn’t. The battery itself is not the source of the explosion, it’s the explosive hidden inside it.
A regular battery cannot be made to explode in this way.
Tikiporch@lemmy.world 1 month ago
I think there may be a couple edits needed in your comment. Reread slowly and get back to us.
femtech@midwest.social 1 month ago
That does not make them exploding batteries, it had explosives in them. A suicide bomber is not an explosive human.
eatthecake@lemmy.world 1 month ago
A suicide bomber is not an explosive human but they are an exploding human.
ripcord@lemmy.world 1 month ago
They’re batteries. And they are explosive because of the explosives in them. They are discrete things that are explosives.
You’re trying to make a weird, un-useful, pedantic distinction here.
Comment you replied to was making a far more useful correction, because people did not read the article.
FarceOfWill@infosec.pub 1 month ago
Do bombs explode? Or is it the explosives inside of them that are exploding?
NeoNachtwaechter@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Pedantics fighting pedantics LOL
And when you put the same explosives inside a barbie doll and make it go off, then it wasn’t an exploding barbie doll. Or was it? ;-)
boatswain@infosec.pub 1 month ago
I think you mean “pedants fighting pedants” :p
Cocodapuf@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Fun fact, a group of pedants is called a flem. To use it in a sentence: “the party was ruined by a flem of pedants”.
cypherpunks@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
sometimes a cigar is just a cigar
ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
JFC Christ, does anyone know where the nearest ATM Machine is?
FarceOfWill@infosec.pub 1 month ago
Jesus Fried Chicken Christ