James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Paloma (Ana de Armas) in NO TIME TO DIE, an EON Productions and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios film Credit: Nicola Dove
No Time To Die has just hit theaters and plenty of James Bond fans are filling theaters to see the spy use his ingenious gadgets to save his skin. But does he really use the best of technology to do it? We think not. Anyone see a Polaroid laser beam shooter?
Before we get into what prepared spies are supposed to use in real life, let's take a look at what Bond is tinkering with in his latest, much-delayed release. Thanks to the closure of theaters due to a pandemic, the film shows the renewed Nokia 3310, Nokia 7.2 and Nokia 8.3 5G. The release dates for these phones are 2017, September 2019, and October 2020 respectively.
Even glossing over the unlikely marriage between the fictional British super spy and Nokia, a brand that captured just 0.7% of the smartphone market in the fourth quarter of last year, outdated cell phones are hardly cutting-edge technology for defeating the bad guys - and this is perhaps not the best.
James Hadley, CEO and founder of Immersive Labs - a cybersecurity training platform - and even before GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters), has something to say about Bond's timeless choices. "If they gave him an old Android phone, Bond would have to check that Q took care to update the operating system to prevent the latest vulnerabilities," he says.
Hadley understands the benefits of an older phone well, but feels it's not a practical choice for a modern spy. "Some believe that using 'dumb phones' - pre-smartphone devices that are less software-bound - is safer for Bond," he says. "But that would limit their ability to use even the most basic Internet applications."
So, it's about reviewing old phones and making them less vulnerable. As Hadley puts it, (fingers crossed) Q is an expert on modern security threats, and not just lethal fountain pens. Jake Moore, Eset company cybersecurity expert and former police officer, explains: "Older devices are usually exposed to more security risks, but if a phone is configured correctly, with limited user control. and custom modifications, then anti-tracking and anti-surveillance would offset the outdated operating system and other flaws. "