Palm Pre: Spy-Like Flaw Makes It a Bugging Device

If youve become frustrated that your Palm Pre has been overshadowed by the likes of the iPhone and the Droid, heres something straight out of a James Bond film that could set your phone apart only, its not a good thing.

MWR Infosecurity has discovered that someone can spy on you through your Pre, and do it quite easily. Supposedly, according to website V3.co.uk, a specially crafted text message” can be created rather easily and sent to your phone, bypassing Palms operating system, webOS, and turning your Pre into a bug you know, a listening device that you see slipped under a desk or a pillow in just about every spy movie out there. Anything within range of the phones microphone can be recorded and transmitted.

MWR says Googles code can keep this from happening on Android phones, but webOS has no such security precautions. HP, Palms new owner, did not comment on the issue to the British website.

While this is certainly a concern for Pre owners, maybe it will give the P.I. industry a lift. Can you imagine if Magnum had a tool like this back in the day? And maybe its not as cool as the jetpack from Thunderball or From Russia With Loves deadly briefcase, but the Pre bug” might hold its own in a list of Bond gadgets.