More than 500 mobile phone virus attacks were reported last week.
According to the Mobile Security Center of NetQin Mobile Inc., the viruses came disguised as mini games, to lure users into downloading them. Once downloaded, the phone could be controlled by the virus originator
The viruses are considered Botnet viruses, because their propagation model is the same as a regular computer botnet. The intended purpose of the viruses is unknown.
With the number of smartphones rapidly increasing, viruses geared toward them are growing fast. The viruses often send messages to other phones listed in the user’s address book, or call random numbers and send messages to them. This can result in both extra charges on the user’s phone, and a massive spread of the virus. The viruses can also delete the sent messages from the outbox, so the user is not alerted to the sent messages.
Standard protection protocols, that are well known on computers, also apply to smartphones. Experts say that firewalls and anti-virus programs are critical for avoiding these types of attacks, and should be updated regularly, along with the phone’s operating system.
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