Though the video below doesn’t show the finer details of the hack, it does explain how the SMS attack can reboot the device and prevent the message system from working, with users having to reset the device to get it to work again properly. The hack also affects other parts of the operating system, causing it to lock-up after performing certain tasks.
As WinRumours explains:
“We have tested the attack on a range of Windows Phone devices, including HTC’s TITAN and Samsung’s Focus Flash. Some devices were running the 7740 version of Windows Phone 7.5, others were on Mango RTM build 7720. The attack is not device specific and appears to be an issue with the way the Windows Phone messaging hub handles messages. The bug is also triggered if a user sends a Facebook chat message or Windows Live Messenger message to a recipient.”
Back in 2009, the iPhone was subject to a similar flaw allowing hackers to send an SMS that allowed them to remotely control the phone. Google Android phones were also affected
More recently, an SMS Android Trojan named as “DroidLive” was discovered by a research team at NC State University. The Trojan can enter your system and make phone calls, gather personal data and send text messages to premium-rate numbers. The researchers have since warned users to only download applications from trusted sources.
In the meantime, let's hope that the contents of this Windows Phone text message doesn't get into the wrong hands.
