Windows Phone 7.5 bug disables messaging option

A bug in the recently released Windows Phone 7.5 mobile OS can be exploited to make people’s phones lose the ability to send messages by cutting access to the messaging hub, and all it takes is a specially crafted SMS, a message sent via Facebook chat or via the Windows Live Messenger.

Once the message is received by the device, it automatically reboots and makes the messaging hub inaccessible.

“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,” says WinRumors’ Tom Warren.

The affected devices can regain their ability to send messages only if a hard device reset and the wiping of the device is executed.

The bug was discovered by one Khaled Salameh who reported it to WinRumors, and they are currently sharing with Microsoft the details.