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First virus for Windows CE surfaces
July 16, 2004 -
Worm ready to wriggle into smart phones
June 14, 2004
The software resides in an illegal version of the cell phone game "Mosquito" that is now available at no cost on the Internet and peer-to-peer networks, according to a
Symbian, which has identified the problem as a Trojan horse, said the software did not seem to have been created with malicious intent. Rather, the feature was incorporated in early versions of the game by the legitimate manufacturer, Ojom, as an experimental licensing and copy protection mechanism. The illegal copies are based on an early version of the game and still include the message feature, Symbian said.
But others, including
Once installed, the game may cause phones to send text messages to premium rate numbers in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland without the user's approval or knowledge, Symbian said. Deleting the game rids users of the problem, the company said.
"The Mosquito Trojan is a clear indication that users need to be aware of the risks of downloading and installing illegal or pirated software," Symbian said. "Symbian believes that mobile security is the responsibility of the entire industry. It requires cooperation and trust."
The company did not offer an estimate of the number of phones affected nor when the virus began making the rounds.
The episode underscores how virus writers are now focusing on smart phones, which are cell phones that are always connected to the Internet and that have PDA-like processing power for much more complex tasks than a typical handset. The two major makers of smart-phone operating systems are Symbian and Microsoft.
The buzz about the Mosquito Trojan comes about a month after antivirus companies began deciphering the workings of the first worm to target smart phones. That worm program,
In mid-July, a virus that infects Windows CE was developed--the
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This is definite proof that we should change all Cell-Phone operating systems to the more secure Linux or Mac OSX!
I just thought I would beat everyone to the punchline for a change.
Omg the Simbian OS is insecure.. we MUST immediately change all cell phones to use Windows.
*shudder*
You: "Call Bob"
Phone: "Fatal exception 0E in kernel32.dll"
Phone: "Rebooting"
Phone: "Error while rebooting."
Phone: "Rebooting"
Phone: "Error while rebooting."
Phone: "Rebooting..."
You: "Thats what I thought you would say."
Who pirates the game, must pay for SMS.
So another hollow threat!!..
Hello does any body else read the internet news or just your own.PS this story about the "trojan is also a least a week old
Hello does any body else read internet news or just your own.PS this story about the "trojan" is also a least a week old