Cell-phone Viruses- Part 2

How They Spread

Phones that can only make and receive calls are not at risk.
Only smartphones with a Bluetooth connection and data
capabilities can receive a cell-phone virus. These viruses
spread primarily in three ways:

* Internet downloads - The virus spreads the same way
a traditional computer virus does. The user downloads
an infected file to the phone by way of a PC or the phone's
own Internet connection. This may include file-sharing
downloads, applications available from add-on sites (such as
ringtones or games) and false security patches posted on the
Symbian Web site.

* Bluetooth wireless connection - The virus spreads
between phones by way of their Bluetooth connection. The user
receives a virus via Bluetooth when the phone is in
discoverable mode, meaning it can be seen by other
Bluetooth-enabled phones. In this case, the virus spreads
like an airborne illness.
Cell-phone-virus researchers at F-Secure's U.S. lab now
conduct their studies in a bomb shelter so their research
topics don't end up spreading to every Bluetooth-enabled
phone in the vicinity.

* Multimedia Messaging Service - The virus is
an attachment to an MMS text message. As with computer
viruses that arrive as e-mail attachments, the user must
choose to open the attachment and then install it in order
for the virus to infect the phone. Typically, a virus that
spreads via MMS gets into the phone's contact list and sends
itself to every phone number stored there.

In all of these transfer methods, the user has to agree at
least once (and usually twice) to run the infected file. But
cell-phone-virus writers get you to open and install their
product the same way computer-virus writers do: The virus is
typically disguised as a game, security patch or other
desirable application.

The Commwarrior virus arrived on the scene in January 2005
and is the first cell-phone virus to effectively spread
through an entire company via Bluetooth
(Phone virus spreads through Scandinavian company). It
replicates by way of both Bluetooth and MMS. Once you receive
and install the virus, it immediately starts looking for
other Bluetooth phones in the vicinity to infect. At the same
time, the virus sends infected MMS messages to every phone
number in your address list. Commwarrior is probably one of
the more effective viruses to date because it uses two
methods to replicate itself.

So what does a virus like this do once it infects your
phone?

The Damage Done

The first known cell-phone virus, Cabir, is entirely
innocuous. All it does is sit in the phone and try to spread
itself. Other cell-phone viruses, however, are not as
harmless.

A virus might access and/or delete all of the contact
information and calendar entries in your phone. It might send
an infected MMS message to every number in your phone book
-- and MMS messages typically cost money to send, so you're
actually paying to send a virus to all of your friends,
family members and business associates. On the
worst-case-scenario end, it might delete or lock up certain
phone applications or crash your phone completely so it's
useless.

Cell-phone viruses have gotten a lot more harmful since the
Cabir worm landed in the hands of researchers in 2004. But on
the bright side, there are some steps you can take to protect
your phone.

Protecting Your Phone

The best way to protect yourself from cell-phone viruses is
the same way you protect yourself from computer viruses:
Never open anything if you don't know what it is, haven't
requested it or have any suspicions whatsoever that it's not
what it claims to be. That said, even the most cautious
person can still end up with an infected phone. Here are some
steps you can take to decrease your chances of installing
a virus:

* Turn off Bluetooth discoverable mode. Set your phone
to "hidden" so other phones can't detect it and send it the
virus. You can do this on the Bluetooth options screen.

* Check security updates to learn about filenames you
should keep an eye out for. It's not fool-proof -- the
Commwarrior program generates random names for the infected
files it sends out, so users can't be warned not to open
specific filenames -- but many viruses can be easily
identified by the filenames they carry. Security sites with
detailed virus information include:
o F-Secure
o McAfee
o Symantec

Some of these sites will send you e-mail updates with
new virus information as it gets posted.

* Install some type of security software on your phone.
Numerous companies are developing security software for cell
phones, some for free download, some for user purchase and
some intended for cell-phone service providers. The software
may simply detect and then remove the virus once it's
received and installed, or it may protect your phone from
getting certain viruses in the first place. Symbian has
developed an anti-virus version of its operating system that
only allows the phone's Bluetooth connection to accept secure
files.

Although some in the cell-phone industry think the potential
problem is overstated, most experts agree that cell-phone
viruses are on the brink of their destructive power.
Installing a "security patch" that ends up turning your phone
into a useless piece of plastic is definitely something to be
concerned about, but it could still get worse. Future
possibilities include viruses that bug phones -- so someone
can see every number you call and listen to your
conversations -- and viruses that steal financial
information, which would be a serious issue if smartphones
end up being used as payment devices (Paying by cell phone on
the way). Ultimately, more connectivity means more exposure
to viruses and faster spreading of infection. As smartphones
become more common and more complex, so will the viruses that
target them.