First mobile phone virus discovered

[Warrior of Light]

First mobile phone virus discovered

 

 

Wednesday 16 June 2004, 1:39 Makka Time, 22:39 GMT

 

The virus propagates through the Bluetooth wireless technology

 

 

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The first ever virus that can infect mobile phones has been discovered,

anti-virus software developers have said, adding that up until now it has

had no harmful effect.

The French unit of the Russian security software developer Kaspersky Labs

said on Tuesday that that virus - called Cabir - appears to have been

developed by an international group specialising in creating viruses which

try to show "that no technology is reliable and safe from their attacks".

Cabir infects the Symbian operating system that is used in several makes of

mobiles, notably the Nokia brand, and propagates through the Bluetooth

wireless technology present in several new mobile phones.

If the virus succeeds in penetrating the phone, it writes the inscription

Caribe" on the screen and is activated every time the phone is turned on.

Set to multiply

It is able to scan for other phones using Bluetooth to send a copy of itself

 

According to the anti-virus software developer F-Secure, the discovery of

Cabir is proof that the technologies are now available to create viruses for

mobile phones and that they are now known to the writers of computer viruses

 

Anti-virus experts have been warning for months that mobile phone viruses

are set to multiply, given the increasingly diverse uses of mobile phones.

AFP

 

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Viking]

SisSade,

The same people who sell the 'anti-virus' spread the bug. Remember the Y2K scare? The 'experts' who constantly remidned people about the dangers are the same people who made billions in the 'preventive measures' they forced multi-national companies and govts to undertake.

[Warrior of Light]

Thanks Viking, seems people will be pocketing some more.