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Viruses and worms now threatening mobile phones

"The cellphone viruses that we've seen up to this point originate from old-school virus writers."

Graham Cluley, of antivirus software maker Sophos

Most people forget that mobile phones are actually small, portable computers capable of sending and receiving data.

Receiving data is good, but it's also possible to receive software that damages the phone or its user. In other words: viruses and worms, the bane of the PC world, are now being written for mobile phones too.

The first of these programs showed up around two years ago. A worm called Cabir took the dubious honor of being the first to be officially discovered, even if it represented more of a theoretical than a practical problem, since it did not really circulate in the real cellphone world.

"I don't want to spread a panic," says telecommunications expert Bjorn Brodersen from the online portal teltarif.de.

He has never personally encountered a cellphone virus. But he believes the problem is likely to increase in the future.

"In this case we should be taking the warnings of the virus experts seriously," he said.

It started with a bit of a practical joke, says Candit Wueest, virus expert at the antivirus software maker Symantec, which changes icons into skull-and-crossbones symbols.

"Now there are viruses making the rounds that overwrite a cellphone's system files," Wueest says.

Any cellphone which is put out of commission in this way must be sent back to the manufacturer for repairs.

There are also purported to be viruses that encrypt the cellphone's storage card with a password to prevent the actual owner from accessing it.

The attacks target primarily so-called smartphones. This is due to the fact that they offer a comparably larger number of ports and functions, which translates into more potential for attacks.

"Smartphones have stirred the interest of virus writers," Brodersen warns.

The ways in which a worm like Cabir disseminates itself highlight a weakness in the way in which cellphones communicate: programs are passed wirelessly using the phone's Bluetooth port.

Practically speaking, this means that the only models that can be affected by such viruses are those with the Symbian operating system and a Bluetooth port.

For this reason ports which are not required should be deactivated, recommends the German Federal Agency for Security in Information Technology (BSI) in Bonn.

When a Bluetooth port is activated, it can theoretically be misused by other cellphone users to gain access to the phone, even from a distance of several meters.

This might involve browsing through saved data or executing commands on the foreign phone, such as the sending of particularly expensive premium text messages.

"That can be very expensive for the person whose phone gets hacked," Brodersen says.

The experts recommend being careful when thinking about downloading software.

"You should have a close look at the source of the program," Brodersen recommends.

In Candit Wueest's view, users should be wary if a game that must normally be bought is offered for free, since a virus could be hidden in it.

Brodersen also recommends keeping track of cellphone bills to make sure that no unusual charges have appeared.

For now, cellphone viruses still represent a minor threat.

"You can't say that cellphone viruses are particularly prevalent," says Graham Cluley from antivirus software maker Sophos based in Abingdon, England.

"The cellphone viruses that we've seen up to this point originate from old-school virus writers," he says.

They are less concerned with causing damages that simply showing off their technical know-how. The viruses, spam, Trojans and worms currently making their way around the Internet are largely criminally motivated, Cluley says. They aim at making money.

"As long as they can keep doing that using PC viruses, their inventors will probably have no reason to program viruses for cellphones," he says.
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