Your Next Virus Is Just A Phone Call Away

Mobile Phones May Be The Next Target ------------------------------------

I don't know how often you change mobile phones. If you are
like me, I always have to get my hands on the latest and
greatest the moment it's available. And each time, I'm
amazed by the technological advancements and services they
have to offer.

Mobile Phone Viruses

--------------------

Most of the newer phones are more like a Personal Digital
Assistant (PDA) than a phone, offering contact management,
web browsers, downloadable games, cameras and much more. I
myself have downloaded a few games to my new phone. Today's
mobile phones run operating system's similar to those used
by your PDA or home computer, but on a smaller scale. It is
only a matter of time before hackers and developers
discover ways to wreak havoc on these devices by creating
malicious code similar to a standard virus your computer
can contract.

What could be the result? The possibilities are limitless.
With one mobile phone virus attack on your wireless phone
you could lose all your contact information, the phone
could be directed to dial random numbers (even expensive
international numbers), be used to relay SPAM, or worse,
replicate a virus by sending itself to all of your
contacts.

Cell Phone Viruses

------------------

The release of cell phone viruses is rooted in some of the
most common applications we've come to use and appreciate.
Have you ever sent someone a text message from your mobile
phone? I use it quite often to communicate with close
friends and relatives. If you think about it, a text
message is no different than an email - including how
simple and pervasive SPAM has become on your computer. On
mobile phones, programmers and hackers are discovering a
great way to send unsolicited e-mails or messages.

For instance, if your mobile phone number is 555-1000,
chances are that your number is just one of a large block
of mobile numbers such as 555-1001, 1002, 1003, and so on.
So if a spammer picks a random start point within a block
of numbers, it would be easy to write a small program that
would send the same SPAM message to all mobile numbers
within that block. On top of this, many mobile services
make you responsible for paying for the text messages. Not
only will you become annoyed by unsolicited messages, you
could be paying for them as well.

Cell Phone Security

-------------------

Have you ever received an unsolicited text message on your
mobile phone - one not from your phone service provider? I
have at least once in the recent months. I received a text
message from an anonymous source that contained information
about some sort of health product. Not only did it contain
a brief sales pitch, it also had a web link attached to it.
How they got my mobile phone number is beyond me.

But the bigger and more threatening reality the episode
posed was in exposing the potential for viruses, worms,
backdoors, and unsolicited content to reach our mobile
phones.

Mobile Phone Security

---------------------

So what can we do about this? As far as text messages are
concerned, some mobile phones give you the option to define
an approved list of numbers. This way you can only receive
messages from people or organizations you know.

Viruses and malicious code are an entirely different
subject. I've not seen this happen in the wild yet, but I
can tell you it's only a matter of time. The manufacturers
of mobile phones and the operating systems they run will
need to take some responsibility for making sure their
product are secure.

Given the fact that nothing is 100% secure, you can bet
that mobile phone-attacking viruses will become a reality.
Who knows, the Anti-Virus software developers may have a
whole new market.

About The Author

----------------

Darren Miller is an Industry leading computer and internet
security consultant. At the website -
http://www.defendingthenet.com you will find information about
computer security specifically design to assist home, home
business and small business computer users. Sign up for
defending the nets newsletter and stay informed and empowered
to stay safe on the Internet. You can reach Darren at
mailto:darren.miller@paralogic.net or at
mailto:defendthenet@paralogic.net

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