Mobile phone viruses on the increase

By

52 viruses are capable of infecting mobile phones and some reports are suggesting the figure could even be as high as 71, according to the findings of a new study.

The study, by US security firm SimWorks, suggests that the number of different varieties of mobile phone malware has hit new heights since the mobile virus, Cabir, hit the wild in mid-2004.

The viruses are aimed at Series 60 Nokia mobile phone using the Symbian operating system and are apparently cracked versions of applications like BitStorm and SplashID. But some anti-virus vendors are warning against hyping up mobile phone threats.

"The versions are very similar and it's actually probably the work of only one guy," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at anti-virus company Sophos. "None of these viruses are in the wild and I don't think we should feel threatened just yet."

Cluley suggests that mobile phone will only really become a threat once more money can be made out of their propagation.

"There's still a lot of money to be made out of Windows viruses and very little in mobile phones," he said. "Also, it takes more work to produce a good mobile phone virus so virus writers don't bother."

Learn more   →">Partner Content Is your website a commercial risk (and why it could be without you realising it)?

From ambition to impact: The next era of government transformation.
From ambition to impact: The next era of government transformation.
Australian mid-market businesses to access deeper AI and security expertise with First Focus-Integris partnership
Australian mid-market businesses to access deeper AI and security expertise with First Focus-Integris partnership
From data overload to decisive action – accelerating decisions with AI agents
From data overload to decisive action – accelerating decisions with AI agents

Most Read Articles

"Don't ask again" in Anthropic's Claude Code leaks developer secrets

"Don't ask again" in Anthropic's Claude Code leaks developer secrets

ANZ stands up an 'enterprise AI control plane'

ANZ stands up an 'enterprise AI control plane'

Admin creds left in carmaker app opened doors to vehicles

Admin creds left in carmaker app opened doors to vehicles

Tyro finds new CISO

Tyro finds new CISO

Log In

  |  Forgot your password?