Viruses, Trojans And Worms -- Unplugged?

An Anonymous Coward writes: "This two-part article at Wireless NewsFactor examines the risks of malicious code on wireless platforms and what companies can do to combat potential threats. The gist of it is that wireless viruses/worms/trojans are unlikely to spread unchecked, and it digs pretty deep into why that is the case."

Comments

PDA's are even more vulnerable to attacks

[UltraBot2K1]

Point-Counterpoint: Portable wireless viruses such as Palms, PocketPCs, and wireless phones are, in my opinion even more vulnerable to attacks. Think about it for a moment, when was the last time you installed a firewall or virus protection software on your cell phone? Never...that's because it doesn't exist. Portable software is written with the number one priority being size. Flash storage is expensive, and most devices don't have more than 32 MB at most available. Software needs to be extremely compact, and in the process, loses some of it's functionality. The focus is on cramming as many features into as little space as possible, and security is often overlooked.

Also, many portable devices aren't easily programmed, and some cannot be programmed without physically modifying the device. Sure you can download a dev kit for your PDA, but not that many people know how to code for them. Cell phones are even harder to write code for. That means bugfixes and patches are going to be slow or non-existant, leaving them even more vulnerable to security exploits.

Finally, the userbase of most cellular phones and PDA's aren't exactly the most technically saavy people out there. Most users of these devices are ignorant yuppies who could care less about security issues of the WAP protocol vs. Bluetooth. These people don't care/don't know better. All they want to do is talk to their girlfriends/write a grocery list while they're driving home in their BMW or SUV. Most, if not all cell phone users are simply too ignorant to care about security.

Re:Damn nice troll!

[atrowe]

What is it, exactly, that makes you think a well reasoned, ontopic post that brings up several valid points is automatically a troll? Please enlighten me.