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World's First Mobile Phone Virus Created
By Lucas van Grinsven, Reuters

 
AMSTERDAM (June 16) - A group of underground virus writers has showed off what
is believed to be the world's first worm that can spread on advanced mobile
phones, but security software companies say the virus had no malicious code
attached.

The worm, named Cabir, was sent to security software firms Kapersky Lab of
Russia and U.S.-based Symantec by a member of 29a, a group of virus writers
from the Czech Republic and Slovakia who pride themselves in creating ''proof
of concept malicious viruses,'' Kapersky Labs spokesman Denis Zenkin said.

Avoid accepting a download that looks like the one above, anti-virus firms say.
(Symantec)  
 
''This is the very first version of a network worm which propagates via mobile
phones,'' he said on Wednesday.

The worm is designed to work in smartphones running on Symbian and Series 60
software, Symantec said on its Web site.

This software is used to power millions of Nokia phones, such as the popular
6600 model.

Nokia was not immediately available to comment.

The worm is not regarded as dangerous because even if it spreads it carries no
code that destroys files or executes other damaging operations, the security
software firms said. The virus attempts to jump from phone to phone by using
the handset's wireless short-range Bluetooth connection. It scans the
environment for other Bluetooth-enabled devices.

Once it has found one, it sends itself disguised as a security file. The file
must be accepted by the mobile phone owner and then installed before it can
propagate.

Mobile viruses will become more dangerous when they can spread without human
intervention, said Matias Impivaara, business manager for mobile security
services at Finnish security software firm F-Secure.

''The main (turning) point will be when the virus-writing community knows the
software well enough... to find holes,'' he said.

''The information about the (Symbian) operating system is very close to the
hands of the virus writers.... (Cabir) could be a trigger to start developing
these ideas earlier.''

A spokesman at London-based technology firm Symbian said that, unlike personal
computers, it was not possible to penetrate the software of its smartphones
without approval.

''But we can never say it's not going to be possible. Smartphones have been
designed... as open, programmable networked devices,'' he said, adding that
users should be careful before accepting to install new software.

(Additional reporting by Brett Young in Helsinki)

Reut07:01 06-16-04

Copyright 2004 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.