The Second Operating System Hiding In Every Mobile Phone 352
Jah-Wren Ryel writes "Every smartphone or other device with mobile communications capability (e.g. 3G or LTE) actually runs not one, but two operating systems. Aside from the operating system that we as end-users see (Android, iOS, PalmOS), it also runs a small operating system that manages everything related to radio. So, we have a complete operating system, running on an ARM processor, without any exploit mitigation (or only very little of it), which automatically trusts every instruction, piece of code, or data it receives from the base station you're connected to. What could possibly go wrong?"
Conspiracy (Score:4, Funny)
Every thinks a virus will cause the Zombie Apocalypse, when in truth it will be a broadcast of "Never gonna let you down" on infinite loop. Rick is Chinese...didn't you know? The same people who make these 'Cell' phones. Cell.....terrorist cells! OMG it all makes sense now.
Re:Firmware (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah kind of makes all of those hand waving sci-fi hacking tools look plausible.
A secure computer is a computer without power, network and Qualcomm baseband chips.
Why stop there? (Score:2, Funny)
Why stop there? Every cell phone also runs on an operating system called QM (quantum mechanics). Hack that and you can make the phone do all sorts of really cool things.
Re:Conspiracy (Score:4, Funny)
His real name is Rick Shaw.
Re:All the other OS, too. (Score:4, Funny)
That means, with the appropriate base station changes, anyone can access your phone while sitting in your pocket
My pockets are not large enough for anybody to sit in there. Not much of a danger here.
can activate the cam
That's a good idea. That way he'll see where I'm carrying him in my pocket.
Re:Firmware (Score:4, Funny)
Soo many times I've wished computers ran on magic.
I wish computers ran on magic because then when someone whose expertise way outside of what I do requests an explanation and struggles with the details but is insistent upon knowing them, I could say ", because magic" then they would accept that and say "I see."