Worms and viruses just as threatening to your phone

There is so much information available on computer viruses, how to prevent them and what to do should you be infected with one, that net users are probably sick of it. Yes, it’s important, but it’s also boring and wastes time that could be better spent following the trials and tribulations of celebrity life, or sending text messages on your cell phone. But this simple little act of communication can bring viruses right back into your life, because viruses have gone mobile. That’s right, they’re out and they’re looking for you.

I admit, that is a little alarmist, but I find it equally alarming that sending and receiving texts, downloading images and using Bluetooth technology makes you vulnerable to petty and malicious digital vandals.

In March 2004, a mobile Trojan horse was found. It came in the guise of a game called Mosquitoes and it seems that its sole purpose was to secretly send messages to toll numbers, racking up the costs to the user. In June 2004 (2004 apparently being a bad year for mobile phones) one of the first mobile viruses, called Cabir, was released. It was spread via Bluetooth and has infiltrated the world’s mobile phones with the help of travellers using infected phones. Cabir has been upgraded several times over the years. We’ve run through the first quarter of the alphabet already and are currently on the G version.

Paul Cuss, who is the CEO of SmartTrust, believes that mobile viruses pose a greater threat than computer viruses, largely because virus writers have learnt so much from their years of computer work. Their methods are going to be more sophisticated, creating the maximum amount of damage with the minimum amount of effort.

I believe him, and it’s not just because he works for a company that creates antivirus software for cell phones. It’s because people are reliant on their phones for everything, and the integration of internet capabilities with mobile technology has strengthened that reliance. Internet banking was ‘the bees knees’ until mobile banking came along. Now you can take care of your finances while you’re stuck in traffic, and virus writers the world over are grateful.

The capacity for mayhem has never been greater or easier to achieve. I don’t have automated antivirus software on my phone (as the experts recommend) because I don’t use my phone for much other than text messages and the other occasional call. And I’m not losing any sleep over it, yet. But that doesn’t mean that I like to pretend that the problem doesn’t exist. Thanks to the glut of boring information available, I am aware of the dangers and am as careful as I can possibly be.

Recommended sites:

http://cellular.co.za/news_2006/april/042606-smarttrust_to_develop_mobile_vir.htm

http://cellular.co.za/technologies/security/mobile_and_smartphone_worms.htm

Sandra wrote this article for the online marketers MVI Data Recovery data recovery one of the most successful data recovery companies in the UK today.