Exploding Pagers Raise Global Supply-Chain Security Concern.

COMPUTER operating systems; INFRASTRUCTURE (Economics); JET engines; AERIAL bombing; SUPPLY chains

The recent explosion of pagers and other devices in Lebanon has raised concerns about the use of supply chains as weapons. Lebanese officials believe that these devices were rigged with explosives as part of an attack by Israel on Hezbollah. The scale and violence of these attacks have alarmed officials, who fear that globalized supply chains could be exploited by foreign adversaries. The United States has recognized its dependence on China for goods and services and has begun to move some vital supply chains to the US or friendly countries. The Lebanese blasts are just the latest example of supply-chain attacks happening worldwide, and infiltrating supply chains is a common tool used by intelligence services. The operation in Lebanon was put in place by Israel years ago as a measure to use in case of a major war with Hezbollah. China has also prepositioned cyber attackers to target critical infrastructure in the US. Protecting against intrusion in the virtual world is challenging, as many devices already have malicious code inside. The US government has sought to reduce reliance on Chinese firms for infrastructure and national security, but interdependence is difficult to escape. China has been pushing for "indigenous innovation" to reduce reliance on foreign technologies. Even low-tech solutions, like pagers, can still be vulnerable to attack. In a world with extended supply chains, vulnerabilities are a fact of life. [Extracted from the article]

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