Mobile Phones
Most of us have them, and i was thinking of an idea when my mate asked me a question, rather crude one i may add, it was "can you fuck a phone up from a text". immdiatly i said no, but after thinking about it i was beginnng to wonder why not? Phones are rather similar to computers now, then can run Java, browse the internet, send e-mail and whatever. I think with a standard computer you could brick it by flashing the wrong BIOS onto it (this can be done with software in windows, most board manufactures use them now) you could use this to brick a PC. I figure you could do the same with a phone, you "can" upgrade the firmware of most phones with just the USB cable and an internet connection, and their may well be a phone out there that can just browse to a specific page and download a firmware upgrade. If you could use some duff firmware you could render a phone essentially useless until its retured to a manufactur. I was thinking would this be feaseable inside a file that is downloaded automatically by the phone, such as an SMS or MMS, E-mails generally arnt.
The problem with flashing the BIOS remotely on most cellphones (at least from US providers) is that system level upgrades are only taken from officially signed cellular software providers and are only allowed in a cellular network's system after the code is submitted and audited by the provider. And in some cases (Nextel in particular), a third party independent auditor and the provider itself.
Not to say it can't be done, but there is only so much most cellphone operating software will allow Java to have access to the hardware of the phone (which is why SMS-virii are not at prominent as many media outlets made it out to be when the phenomenon was first brought into light).
Good points of reference can be found by listening to Binary Revolution Radio Episodes 192 and 195 (both featuring ntheory)
http://www.binrev.com/radio/archive/binrev192.mp3 http://www.binrev.com/radio/archive/binrev195.mp3
Are we forgetting a new modification to most newer models of phones?
Blue-Tooth and WiFi can both be generally 'open' to anyone who knows how to exploit it. I remember reading something that said you could get a blue-tooth adaptor for your PC and download a program which technically 'hacks' into somebody elses blue-tooth device, such as a phone, other pc, or WiFi connections, but that's a different subject I believe.
Anyway ya, it may not by any means include SMS or MMS or anything like that, but it can pretty much mess up someone's phone bill. (It doesn't really effect the phone as much)
Only downside is, it works best when everyone's standing still or you're moving with the person with said blue-tooth. Otherwise they'll just move out of range. ^_^