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Calls, SMS, MMS... now be prepared for viruses too
(The Economic Times (India) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge): Mobile viruses are still in their infancy, but might end up a real nuisance if their rapid growth continues. It is estimated that around 250 species of mobile viruses are doing the rounds, though none of them are very malicious, say experts.
According to Kartik Shahani, sales director, McAfee, "Currently the spread of these viruses is not serious but is expected to become more so in the future." These viruses impact not only the internet-enabled phones, but also the Bluetooth and multimedia devices.
Patrik Runald, senior security specialist, F-Secure, said the evolution of the mobile viruses was rapid, unlike the conventional PC viruses. Since the first PC virus was discovered 20 years ago, there have been an estimated 1,65,000 viruses.
Mr Runald said a virus like Cabir which affects Bluetooth-enabled devices was a "proof of concept" displaying the curiosity and intent of virus writers. Currently, these viruses more active against mobile operating systems like Symbian or the Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Mr Shahani said the mobile virus might eventually become a tool for financial gains. It is expected that there would be attempts to get PIN numbers, bank account details, user password and other sensitive data stored in the smart phones.
In the case of PC virus, there has been a trend with virus writing hobbyists turning into criminal gangs writing these code for financial gains.
Mr Runald said the spread of these viruses can be much more rapid unlike the conventional PCs, adding that certain viruses already had presence in 35 countries.
Mr Shahani said the issue might become serious in the future as the downtime for mobile handsets is much more critical than the PCs and the impact could be higher.
He said the current viruses largely impact the GSM handsets but there are others which also affect the CDMA ones.
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