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CELLPHONE DISABLES ITSELF WHEN ITS OWNER STRAYS

15:00 12 October 2006

NewScientist.com news service

Will Knight and AFP

A cell phone that automatically disables itself when separated from its owner for too long is to be launched by Japan's leading mobile telephone operator, NTT DoCoMo.

The company announced details of the new P903i handset on Thursday. It is designed to prevent unauthorized usage if the phone becomes lost or stolen.

Made by Panasonic, the handset will be sold with a wireless ID card that fits inside a wallet or handbag and lets the phone detect when its owner moves more than a few meters away. "Once the signal between the two objects stops transmitting, because they are too far apart, the telephone blocks itself," a Panasonic spokesman told AFP.

It also comes with a fingerprint reader and voiceprint identification capability.

"The concept is definitely sound," says Ollie Whitehouse, a UK-based wireless security expert with US company Symantec. "It's a good thing because most users are not big fans of passwords and the like."

Spoofed identity

Whitehouse points out that the Bluetooth wireless link that comes with many mobile phones can also be used to check whether it is in range of a similarly-enabled device, such as a laptop.

He adds that it may well be possible to beat the P903i's theft-protection system by "spoofing" the identity of the user's smart card. This involves randomly trying different potential ID codes in sequence. The same process can sometimes be used to impersonate the wireless key fobs used to lock some cars.

"It would be out of the realm of your average pickpocket," Whitehouse told New Scientist. "But it would certainly appeal as a challenge to the technical community."

Another service, announced by NTT DoCoMo, will let cell phone users locate a missing handset via satellite-navigation. Enabled handsets will have satellite receiver capable of pinpointing its precise co-ordinates, which can then be transmitted back to the user.

Ironically, cell phone theft is relatively rare in Japan and lost items are often handed in to the local police station. Few users even lock their cell phones using pin codes.