Cell phone virus threats: why they shouldn't be dismissed
Viruses are every computer user's worst nightmare. But is your cell phone vulnerable to an infection, too?
Several recent viruses have threatened mobile devices. For example, the Cabir strain has spread across mobile phones using Bluetooth, a wireless protocol, according to Mark Komisky, chief executive officer of Bluefire Security Technologies in Baltimore. Its source code became widely available on the Internet in 2005, and permutations with more dangerous capabilities also were known to be surfacing, he says.
Another virus called Mosquito landed in 2004 as part of a downloadable game. It compels mobile phones to send text messages to premium-rate numbers without the user's approval or knowledge. Then there's Brador, which can delete files, reset your phone and send contents such as an address book, e-mails or photos to a third party. "Ask Paris Hilton about that one," says Komisky.
Finally, there's Skulls, which deactivates all links to applications on the phone, including e-mail, instant messaging and calendar, and replaces all icons with images of skulls. You can only send and receive phone calls.
Given that a data disaster is, literally, just a phone call away, what do you need to know about the threat of viruses to your mobile device? Here are five things.
1. Overhyped threat? Perhaps, but don't underestimate the possibility. Depending on who you talk to, the virus threat to cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) is either overstated or vastly overblown. But that doesn't mean it isn't there. "Cell phone users that have a Windows CE or Bluetooth-based phone may be open to a limited amount of viruses," says Gabriel Cervantes, also known as Special Agent 319 for The Geek Squad in San Jose, Calif. Antivirus software companies such as Santa Clara, Calif.-based McAfee are also wary of the phone-virus threat. "We have not seen any major proliferation of mobile threats — yet," says Victor Kouznetsov, the company's senior vice president of mobile security.Tip: How do you know your phone's infected? Cervantes says one telltale sign (other than skulls dancing across your screen or Paris Hilton calling you, of course) is a drained battery.
2. Even though the device threatened is different, the rules are the same. You learned about how to protect your PC from viruses some time ago. The same laws apply to your PDA and phone. Always download software from a trusted source, for example. Don't share applications with strangers. Be sure to verify the authenticity of information sources. And download the latest version of your operating system to ensure you're safe. "The weakest link in the security chain," says Tim Deluca-Smith, director at SmartTrust, a mobile service and device management company based in Sweden, "is almost always the human."Tip: Look out for "Bluetoothing," especially if you're in Europe. Bluetoothing, popular among teen users, sends messages or content to unsuspecting PDA users. How to protect yourself? Turn off Bluetooth until you need it.
3. Prepare for the likelihood of an increasing number of threats as time goes on. Remember when viruses were uncommon, and antivirus software was for the paranoid? Well, that's roughly where cell phones and PDAs are right now. Threats to cell phones in 2005 were still almost nonexistent to the average user, notes Delly Tamer, chief executive of LetsTalk, an online retailer for wireless phones and plans based in San Francisco. "However, as cell phones become more powerful, threats will increase," he says. No one knows how soon that will happen. Maybe it will be months, maybe years, before phone viruses start to make headlines in the same way PC viruses do.Tip: Tamer suggests taking some common-sense precautions that you wouldn't with a PC. "Lock your handset when not in use," he says. "Use passwords for any online sign-ins that are complicated and change them periodically. Don't open messages from senders you don't recognize. And if you lose your handset, call your carrier immediately to let them know."
4. This is a threat that goes beyond your wireless device. People assume that an infected cell phone is a cell phone problem. But it isn't. Consider this scenario, put forth by Doug Neal, a vice president for iPass, a Redwood Shores, Calif., enterprise mobility services company: "Many users automatically synchronize everything they can from their computers to handheld devices with the thought that this will change their life significantly and make them that much more productive," he says. And they're right — it could change their life significantly. In a bad way. "This gives the maximum opportunities for transferring infected files to and from the handheld device," Neal says. Solution: Synchronize selectively — pick only one or two files that absolutely need to be updated.Tip: Back up all of your files frequently. As the infection risk grows, you will want to have the latest version of your address book in a safe place, just in case.
5. Consider antivirus protection. "It may sound overzealous at the moment, but the more precautions are taken now, the less appealing the platform will be to attackers and the more controllable the outcome will be," says Alexander Staun-Rechnitzer, spokeswoman for BullGuard Ltd., a London technology company. "If you do a lot of e-mail or Web browsing, it is a very good idea to start thinking about a mobile antivirus program. Now." Staun-Rechnitzer believes that just as it is unthinkable to leave a PC without antivirus protection, "it will be equally foolhardy to leave a Pocket PC unprotected."Tip: You might want to revise your security policy to include mobile devices. A 2004 Meta Group survey found that companies were exposing their data to unnecessary risk through these gadgets and recommended addressing mobile-device security controls in their policy.
Not everyone is convinced that viruses will become a significant threat to cell phone users. "A variety of sources, curiously including a number of antivirus product companies, have continued to wave the flag of fear in order to gain attention for this potential future threat area," says Michael Compeau, founder of Compeau-Fawkes mobility consulting in Cleveland. "It is unlikely to ever become the kind of issue in the mobile device market that it has become in the Windows desktop world."
Why? There are simply too many operating systems that continue to jockey for market share — all of which makes cell phones an unattractive target for virus writers, he says.
Time will tell.