Mobile virus
Encyclopedia
A mobile virus is an electronic virus
that targets mobile phone
s or wireless-enabled PDA
s.
As wireless phone and PDA networks become more numerous and more complex, it has become more difficult to secure them against electronic attacks in the form of viruses or other malicious software (also known as malware).
virus in older versions of their mobile phone game Mosquito. This virus sent SMS text messages to the company without the user's knowledge. This virus was removed from more recent versions of the game; however it still exists on older, unlicensed versions. These older versions may still be distributed on file-sharing networks and free software download web sites.
In July 2004, computer hobbyists released a proof-of-concept mobile virus named Cabir
. This virus replicates itself on Bluetooth
wireless networks.
In March 2005 it was reported that a computer worm
called Commwarrior-A
has been infecting Symbian
series 60 mobile phones. This worm replicates itself through the phone's Multimedia Messaging System (MMS
). It sends copies of itself to other phone owners listed in the phone user's address book. Although the worm is not considered harmful, experts agree that it heralds a new age of electronic attacks on mobile phones.
In August 2010, Kaspersky Lab reported the first malicious program named Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a classified as a Trojan-SMS has been detected for smartphones running on Google’s Android operating system. It has already infected a number of mobile devices. It sends SMS messages to premium rate numbers without the owner’s knowledge or consent which can rake up huge bills. For a security concern, Android users are advised to download from a trusted source.
Computer virus
A computer virus is a computer program that can replicate itself and spread from one computer to another. The term "virus" is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, including but not limited to adware and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability...
that targets mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s or wireless-enabled PDA
Personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
s.
As wireless phone and PDA networks become more numerous and more complex, it has become more difficult to secure them against electronic attacks in the form of viruses or other malicious software (also known as malware).
History
The first instance of a mobile virus occurred in June 2004 when it was discovered that a company called Ojam had engineered an anti-piracy TrojanTrojan horse (computing)
A Trojan horse, or Trojan, is software that appears to perform a desirable function for the user prior to run or install, but steals information or harms the system. The term is derived from the Trojan Horse story in Greek mythology.-Malware:A destructive program that masquerades as a benign...
virus in older versions of their mobile phone game Mosquito. This virus sent SMS text messages to the company without the user's knowledge. This virus was removed from more recent versions of the game; however it still exists on older, unlicensed versions. These older versions may still be distributed on file-sharing networks and free software download web sites.
In July 2004, computer hobbyists released a proof-of-concept mobile virus named Cabir
Caribe (computer worm)
Cabir is the name of a computer worm developed in 2004 that is designed to infect mobile phones running Symbian OS. It is believed to be the first computer worm that can infect mobile phones...
. This virus replicates itself on Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
wireless networks.
In March 2005 it was reported that a computer worm
Computer worm
A computer worm is a self-replicating malware computer program, which uses a computer network to send copies of itself to other nodes and it may do so without any user intervention. This is due to security shortcomings on the target computer. Unlike a computer virus, it does not need to attach...
called Commwarrior-A
Commwarrior-A
Commwarrior-A is the first known mobile phone virus capable of replicating via MMS messages, which captured the world's attention in March 2005. The virus, originally targeted at Symbian Series 60 smart phones, failed to result in an epidemic...
has been infecting Symbian
Symbian
Symbian is a mobile operating system and computing platform designed for smartphones and currently maintained by Accenture. The Symbian platform is the successor to Symbian OS and Nokia Series 60; unlike Symbian OS, which needed an additional user interface system, Symbian includes a user...
series 60 mobile phones. This worm replicates itself through the phone's Multimedia Messaging System (MMS
Multimedia Messaging Service
Multimedia Messaging Service, or MMS, is a standard way to send messages that include multimedia content to and from mobile phones. It extends the core SMS capability that allowed exchange of text messages only up to 160 characters in length.The most popular use is to send photographs from...
). It sends copies of itself to other phone owners listed in the phone user's address book. Although the worm is not considered harmful, experts agree that it heralds a new age of electronic attacks on mobile phones.
In August 2010, Kaspersky Lab reported the first malicious program named Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a classified as a Trojan-SMS has been detected for smartphones running on Google’s Android operating system. It has already infected a number of mobile devices. It sends SMS messages to premium rate numbers without the owner’s knowledge or consent which can rake up huge bills. For a security concern, Android users are advised to download from a trusted source.
Notable mobile viruses
- Cabir: Infects mobile phones running on Symbian OS. When a phone is infected, the message 'Caribe' is displayed on the phone's display and is displayed every time the phone is turned on. The worm then attempts to spread to other phones in the area using wireless Bluetooth signals.
- Duts: A parasitic file infector virus and is the first known virus for the PocketPC platform. It attempts to infect all EXE files in the current directory (infects files that are bigger than 4096 bytes).
- Skulls: A trojan horse piece of code. Once downloaded, the virus, called Skulls, replaces all phone desktop icons with images of a skull. It also will render all phone applications, including SMSes and MMSes useless.
- Commwarrior: First worm to use MMS messages in order to spread to other devices. Can spread through Bluetooth as well. It infects devices running under OS Symbian Series 60. The executable worm file, once launched, hunts for accessible Bluetooth devices and sends the infected files under a random name to various devices.