A zero-day flaw in the Palm Pre means that the phone can be turned into a bugging device. Insecurity outfit MWR Infosecurity found the bug in Palm's webOS operating system that can be remotely operated by a hacker.

According to Alex Fidgen, director of MWR said that the phone could be used to record a conversation, while the stolen information can be forced to transmit through usual network carriers including a Wi-Fi or 3G network.

To be hacked the user has to open a poisoned text message sent to the phone, which can exploit the webOS operating system when opened. A well designed business card could do the trick apparently.

The problem now is HP's which bought Palm in a $1.2 billion dollar deal two months ago. HP has said that it is looking to use Palm's webOS in all future mobile devices.  If there are more security problems, it could mean that HP's plan for web-based printers could drop down the loo.