| Are new-age cell phones as safe as you think they are? |
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MOBILE PHONES are no longer just communication gadgets. With the latest technology endowing handsets with the best features, mobile viruses are a big concern for the cellular industry, just like in computers. Trojan horse, a virus, is already posing a threat to feature-heavy mobile phones. Says Niraj Kaushik, country manager, (India and SAARC), Trend Micro India, "The device is affected when you receive an infected file and it gets installed in your phone. Once you have an infected phone, it will try to search for other compatible phones."
It is suspected that devices with WiFi cards, which connect to public networks and then back on organisational networks, are the most susceptible. Blutooth, a technology that allows mobile-to-mobile data-transfer, is particularly vulnerable. Sending photos from cell phone to printer or transferring addresses stored on Windows Mobile device to a laptop makes files prone to infection. Also the ability to open e-mail attachments and removable storage cards increases the risk of infection. "Considering that cell phones are always switched on and networked, the chances of virus attacks are much more than on computers," says Niraj. Certain viruses enter your cell phone systems and hack all data. Others destroy the phonebooks or simply reboot the phone.
The current wireless malware is not as sophisticated as its PC counterparts. But its creators are adapting to more sophisticated technology. Virus writers are coming up with novel propagation techniques as with CommWarrior, which spreads through MMs messages. Hackers can scoop out calendars, contact lists and other sensitive information, or turn a mobile phone into a bugging device to secretly listen to conversations. Then there are viruses that spread through radio signals, which can disable phones. However, few mobile phone users have been seriously harmed. Mobile viruses such as Cabir and Commwarrior can spread via the Blue-tooth short-range radio system found on many smart phones. Most viruses target handsets that use the Symbian operating system (an advanced operating system that competes with similar software from Microsoft to bring PC-like capabilities to phones). Infection can be avoided by turning off Bluetooth.
"Not all high-end feature heavy cell phones are susceptible. It is the usage that matters," assures Captain Raghu Raman, Mahindra. According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), there are almost 65.05 million mobile subscribers in India as of September 2005. Only a fraction of the phones are sophisticated enough to be at risk. "Few people actually possess feature heavy models, and out of those, a minuscule population access all the features in their daily life. Though we now have emails coming directly to our cell phones, many still find it convenient to check mail on the desktop," he adds.
Also most of the service providers like Yahoo and Hotmail have a strong operating system, than the corporate accounts that screen virus threats, before the mails are transferred to your mobile unit. According to Raman, "The Blackberry phone proves to be a better option. It has an instant mail technology just like the messenger that enables your mail to be received directly from the server to your cell phone."
So you need not hurry and switch off your Bluetooth and Infrared. But you do need to be a bit careful the next time you receive any MMS or an email that invites you to click on an URL.
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