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Worm Developed for Nokia Series-60 Phones
Tuxedo Jack writes "It had to happen. The first worm designed specifically for cellular phones has been developed, and Cabir appears to be a way of effectively killing Nokia Series-60 cellular phones via shortening the battery life due to scanning for nearby Bluetooth devices and propagating itself. This still relies on a user to open it, so hopefully that won't be many, and those that do must use a file manager to find and kill the worm. At least it isn't a dialer!"
It had to happen sooner or later, with people predicting the cell phone will be your next computer.
I guess Series 60 phone owners should be thankful that it just drains battery life. What if the worm sent 80,012 text messages to everyone in your contact list! Imagine the cell network congestion and billing chaos that would ensue... Lets hope cell phone manufacturers start tweaking their phone OSes to prevent that kind of disaster in the future!
Urge to post... fading... fading... RISING!... fading... fading... gone.
After searching Google news and other sources I could not find a similar story anywhere besides this similar story posted on ZDnet Australia. The only problem is that it was dated back 10 February 2004. Not sure if it's the same story... or same worm but worth a read for those that cannot get out to Symantec.
Hmmm.
I'd just like to say that this is why it's still nice to have a phone with relatively limited features - well, that and it's a Motorola (T720). I don't have to worry about the Bluetooth stuff, and I don't even have web access activated on it.
Also, according to the SARC article linked - this worm will attack any bluetooth device that it finds in it's range - not just phones - SARC uses a printer as an example, but what about those nice bluetooth mice/keyboards and PDAs, etc?
They have an image of the phone with the message displayed on it too.
Sure, the difference isn't that big a deal, but to most people, there isn't any real difference between Linux and Unix...
Obliteracy: Words with explosions
Bluetooth should be turned off out of the box. If an end-user is smart enough to know they want Bluetooth, they probably won't get hit with this attack.
"Here's a spoiler: You're will die alone."-Triumph the Insult Comic Dog
...better yet, a dialer that propagates itself and then sends out pre-recorded sales calls. This may sound crazy now, but will it sound crazy three years from now?
Don't be a looter...and yes, I know that it's spelled with an "A" instead of an "E".
Those who fail to learn from history, are condemned to repeat it.
Hate me!
Is a virus that spreads via phone to computer or vice versa possible?
This guy is way out there
It would really bit to get your cell number blacklisted off of various other networks because it got made into a zombie (in the manner of your host being blacklisted off of other people's email servers) ... might start up a market in less annoying phones, though.
"Because Science" is one step from "Because old book". Try "Because of my experiment testing my falsifiable assertion".
Who would've thought that the windows-based cell phones wouldn't be the first to have viruses.
I would love to see a simpler phone without features like Bluetooth. This would eliminate some of this out of the box. I may be in the minority, but all I need to do on my cell phone is make phone calls.
Don't be a looter...and yes, I know that it's spelled with an "A" instead of an "E".
``Oh look, Johnny sent me a new ring tone''
ZAP!
Until software companies will devote serious time to making sure their products aren't vulnerable like this, we will continue to see these types of monkey business.
You network anything, it will be used by for shady purposes by unscrupulous folk. Think about that for a minute.
Is this the first airbourne computer virus? By which I mean is it the first virus to spread itself only wirelessly. I realize traditional viruses can spread over wifi.
So... This is the digital equivalent of an STD for 'toothers, right?
Taking psychotropic drugs and posting on /. that is a great idea!
Hmmm...seems like my sarcasm plugin for IE isn't working properly.
"Here's a spoiler: You're will die alone."-Triumph the Insult Comic Dog
How did these 1-900 charges get on my phone bill?
I imagine that because of the cellphone frenzy there soon will be as much advertising (spam) in that medium as there is on the internet. Its just too big and too attractive a market to miss. And as cellphones get more and more features crammed into them - there will be viruses, worms, dialers. And they will be just as common.
Remind me to bring an infected phone to the movie theater every time I go.
So this is, like, the first real-world application of Bluetooth? A virus vector? You mean it's not just useless marketing hype-ware after all?!!! They are right, you learn something new every day!
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
I guess now the anti-virus software people now have themselves a new market to penetrate. I guess windows boxes were not enough to maintain their business model.
"I bow to no man" - Riddick
Damn just one more thing I have to purchase with my phone subscription. A monthly charge for cell phone virus definitions for my WAP NAV
Support Texas Troops use TXGoogle
That old crank-operated phone on my parents' wall is looking better and better.
"Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." -- George Orwell
I'd really hope it was fresh. Because the UK laws are what they are, it's much more likely to be the former...
Turkeyphant
You have to be stupid or entirely ignorant to be a successful person in this society crafted by charlatans and intellectual inferiors.
Are you successful? Maybe it's not the system, but the drugs that keep you from reaching your goals.
Unscrupulous types will drive around the suburbs with bluetooth transmitters on the top of honda civics and old hiaces, broadcasting viagra apps into our phones while we eat.
E-marketers will place transmitters everywhere, including bins, bus seats and on signs in the middle of the desert so our phones never stop telling us about products that improve our lives.
We will all begin to recieve mysterious bills for calls we made to a premium rate talking clock number while we were asleep.
Our phones will broadcast our every move and spoken word to marketing agencies, who will happily charge us for a map of the route we took to work that morning, or for telling how good our
eloqution is.
Bluetooth porn spam will being blaring out of everyones mobile the minute that slightly dazed looking yuppie walks into the room with his brand new phone that he uses for browsing on the net and email and chat and buying stuff and everything!!!
This situation(commencing next week) will continue without pause, until, faced with users mass binning their mobiles, symbian forcefully create their own virus to patch the phone on the fly as no-one , apart from geeks, will have bothered to delete the patch.
You doubt me!?! You doubt my powers of foresight?!!
So do I, but I'm sticking with my series 40 phone just in case.
May the Maths Be with you!
If not, what's the use of 'expanding your conciousness' this way?!!!
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Most people buy bluetooth phones and don't know what to use it for, just that it's another thing they have. (I have a Bluetooth phone, but only because my Powerbook also has bluetooth and can sync wirelessly. Otherwise I keep it turned off.)
Most people really just want a phone that can hold contacts, get really great reception, and lasts a while between charges. (And, outside the US, send and recieve text messages easily.) Why not focus on these features? The same reason most car commercials are about performance and showing off instead of reliability and gas mileage; people are more convinced by flash than substance.
Repeat after me: Something that has a lot of functions doesn't do any of those things as well as a dedicated piece of equipment. (PCs are a special case; software isn't.) Just like the only unitasker in your kitchen should be a fire extinguisher, the only multitasker in your geek lair should be your PC.
I'm in the hole of the broadband donut.
Certainly not - last time I used psychedelic drugs was September last year, and I usually space things out over a similarly large period of time. It could be argued that even staggered events will have a negative effect, but I don't think anybody is qualified to even show any consequential evidence of that.
In the symantec article (I could access it) it is suggested : "Turn off and remove unneeded services." I can't help laugh. Buy a blue-tooth enabled mobile phone, and turn off blue tooth stuff as soon as you have it out of the box... Or pay to have something removing the stuff you paid to get.
Hum... may I suggest not ot get such a mobile phone ?
By the way, turning off what I don't need, is something I do with my car, my house, my computer... That is why I have no viruses, no slow down, no whatever I don't want. It's a kind of brake-through: don't use what what you don't need, you'll have less problemes. Ho peoples, I am in great shape today !
That is the sound of inevitability...
-- -pjk Perry Kundert perry@kundert.ca http://kundert.2y.net
Do not answer calls from people you don't know. :D
Privacy is terrorism.
Dude, you'd be better off on erowid as opposed to posting this in the middle of a discussion about a bluetooth hijacking mobile virus.
"Physics is to math as sex is to masturbation." -R. Feynman
I'm sure glad I still have my PANASONIC DURAMAX EB-TX220. Tough as nails, and too old for this sort of crap. TDMA, but still working like a champ!
Pretty Pictures!
Symantec Security Response encourages all users and administrators to adhere to the following basic security "best practices": * Turn off and remove unneeded services. By default, many operating systems install auxiliary services that are not critical, such as an FTP server, telnet, and a Web server. --- So the next question would be: What is you're phone serving us?
I remember a time when "opening" something wasn't the same thing as executing it. I don't think this new way of treating foreign content is an improvement.
Cell phones are there to make calls, not to be a camera, a computer, a PDA or any other kind of device.
The more complex these things become the more issues like this will crop up and cause problems.
If you ignore the other uses of a tool, does that make the tool less useful, or you less useful?
I have a series 60 phone (Nokia 6600) and the phone has a lot of features, and even more bugs. It usually hangs once or twice a day so that you'll have to remove the battery. I'm just wondering what kind of mess we'll soon be in with these viruses, since I'm pretty sure the software of the phone is made with hurry to be just as feature rich as possible.
Good for you. There is nothing as beautiful as a psilocybin trip once in a while.
Happy trails :)
I know that it's all too popular to point fingers at Microsoft, but as the article says, Microsoft is developing the competitor in the "smart phones" category. Wouldn't it be terribly convenient if their competitor's OS was plagued with viruses and not theirs?
Kind of a flip-flop from the Linux/Windows situation...
This sig has absolutely no significance and serves only to take up screen space and waste the time of the reader.
That's not the point. If you want to be successful, you will need a clear mind and good condition. Taking mushrooms is fun, but it does not stimulate the intellectual part of the mind. Nor does it inspire to work on your general condition.
Success depends on a lot of factors, and drugs is not one of them (unless you want to be the next Pablo Escobar;)).
Have you tried your local Goodwill or Salvation Army?
Even garage sales have old phones...
This post is half-funny, and half-sad. Phones are getting more feature-packed every year. Where I work, I am not allowed to have any sort of camera, for security reasons. When all phones have camreas, no phones will be allowed in my office. Sad, but true.
"-1 Troll" is the apparently the same as "-1 I disagree with you."
Remind me when cybernetic implants come out, to not get one. The last thing I need is a worm infecting my cybernetic arm.
i still sit happily with my nokia 3210. IT makes phone calls, it texts. im not sure what else i need........
Say WHAT?!!!
Jeebus, that's even easier than taking cheap shots at M$!
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Really, this does not prove anything. It doesn't exploit any weakness in the system and very easy to avoid.
I am not sure how many of people who have posted before actually OWN series 60 device, but let me assure you that it's not as simple as accepting somebody's bluetooth transfer.
First of all, you must have bluetooth always on and your device available to all, which is really bad idea considering that it eats your battery much faster. Battery life of the series 60 devices is pretty small as is. Having bluetooth on is sure way to kill it further.
Second, you will have to go through few steps of actually INSTALLING unsigned application. This is VERY intrusive.
Third, this thing does not auto startup. So, when your device is drained off battery, it won't run by itself as far as I can see.
All in all, very poor attempt to create a malware for Series 60. I am sure you can get much higher propagation by installing an autoexec worm inside of S60 warez releases.
Other avenue to look into is malformed MMS message that does buffer overrun and allows to execute arbitrary code. Now this would be a real baddy because you will be infected as soon as you open a message.
Nice try, but no cake.
-- shortcut - the longest distance between two points.
when a dialer does cost me money because of a self propogating worm due to a weakness in the phones OS (out of my control)
do they become another microsoft get you to waive any claims due to a fault that is out of your control but their product caused it ?, no recall on this phone/OS then ?, surely the legal ramifications are boggling
It has to be assumed that any system open to the general public, can be expected to come under hostile attack from hackers/spammers/criminals/terrorists. All hardware and software deployed in the field needs to be examined carefully for this. It is even more critical when you have a "monoculture" of HW/SW, since one exploit compromises the whole system.
History has shown time and time again, hackers will expend a great deal of effort to compromise any accessible system even if just for the heck of it.
My rights don't need management.
It may be related to this morning's Akamai DNS problems. Many large sites aren't easily accessible at the moment.
Developers: We can use your help.
I have a T730 with Verizon and the phone isn't KISS at all, it's pretty complicated, capable of downloading and running software.
What bothers me is the *fake* simplicity and lockout. Why can't I just hook this phone to my PC with the USB cable and access the filesystem, transfering programs, ringtones, images and so on to the phone? With the phone software I can get some address book sync (it's such a shitty package, I regret buying it).
Of course, I know it's all about Verizon making money off of downloads, but its such bullshit selling a "closed" device with fake simplicity. Yes, I know I can get warez copies of Moto phone tools, but how much harder would it be to make the phone show up as a USB storage device? The addressbook as a CSV file? A directory each for tones and images?
Well, as far as I know dubya is clean now...
Good for you. There is nothing as beautiful as a psilocybin trip once in a while.
Yes, but you, 3,4-methylenedioxyme, should watch out for Ecstasy-induced toxicity in rat liver
You only use 2% of your DNA
we think we may have the very first blog worm this past weekend as well. after reports of a potential security exploit in LiveJournal, a small team went to work to create a "proof of concept" self-replicating javascript code designed specifically to post itself in a viewers journal.
More information can be found here
a basic example of self-generating javascript code can be found here
just code it like, right now.
it's possible.
however, for better results don't use bluetooth as the medium it transmits itself.. this now published 'worm'/trojan needs USER INTERACTION for it to spread so it is NOT REALLY EFFECTIVE. it's just shitload of hot air by some antivir companies at this point.
however, for faster spreading to idiots just put the virus online with names like "porno-game.sis" "latest-ngage-warez.sis" and alike. some suckers will download it anyways.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
Modern phones have infrared, right? So what if you combine the worm with this idea? >:)
Yes, but right now the "killer application" is a worm. So far it's only been good at killing batteries. Had it, say, included a 1-900 dialer or mass textmessage spammer, it might also have killed one's bank account.
I'd say the risks outweigh the gains here. If somebody is able to download a new app for their phone, the app itself could probably enable bluetooth for them.
EPOC.Cabir is a proof-of-concept worm that replicates on Nokia Series 60 phones.
Uh, talk about coding your way to job security?You want a phone just to make calls?
Ok, but why does this mean you don't want bluetooth? Personally I love bluetooth headsets. In case you missed it, Bluetooth was designed with headsets as a priority.
My cell is so old, it still has a monochromatic lcd screen.
Keep on adding gadgets, whistles, and bells onto your pda/cellphone/sattelite phone/pager/mp3 player/tooth brush/microwave oven. I'll be over here with my "archaic" cell phone, bulletproof and grinning.
"Aye sir, the more they overtake the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain."
-- Scotty, Star Trek III
Seems like noone cares about the difference, anyway...
Dammit, and I was just starting to get the hang of Toothing
I mod down so you can mod up. Your welcome.
It's a proof of concept worm. It's not in the wild yet, according to Symantec.
For your security, this post has been encrypted with ROT-13, twice.
What legal recourse would there be?
Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
i find this virus very interesting in that there is a need for physical proximity in order for the virus to propagate, similar to real-world viruses. in the future, will these type of virus infections be limited to certain geographical areas depending on the initial "ignition" point, or will the infection vectors be more like real-life virus outbreaks? (imaging starting an infection a new york subway versus smalltown, usa)
- Bluetooth has a 30 ft range.
- by shorting battery life users will be less likely to carry it to remote systems (a dead phone cannot transmit it).
- Bluetooth connections must be accepted.
- The file also must be accepted.
It is very similar to a virus being spread by email attachments. Most likely the only fix for this would be a stronger warning on the phone when a file is being passed from a Bluetooth connection.The grass is only greener, if you don't take care of your own lawn.
...but also other Symbain OS phones like Sony Ericsson P800/P900 and Motorola a920/a925.
Thank you for reminding us that he's also a substance abuser and hypocrite.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
battery down, radiation up - not your average bluetooth phone anymore, now its also a pocket warmer!
See I told you how vulnerable phones are! :p
The main problem is that phones and phone batteries have a limited life time (usually 3 to 7 years) after which they start giving problems up to dieing (ofcourse not if you treat it perfectly, but who does), it is the only reason why I went through 3 phones in 5 years.
Perhaps we should not have sent away all the telephone sanitizers.
"Danke daß Du mich gemolken hast" said the German cow.
Security expert, diabolical mastermind, software company owner, and over achiever, Sam Samuelson has discovered a land based phone Virus. This Virus transmits itself through phone lines and speakers to other compatible phones in the area. The virus generally spreads through Nortel multi-line phones, although Experts at Sam Samuelson's software company expect variants for Nortel single line phones, SBC switch boards, and a variety of office devices created by Lucent Technologies. The virus, also known as a "worm" in tech circles, uses the phones to spread throughout a network, and attempts to scan customer databases to make obscene phone calls. One customer remarked "It just said, 'I want to see you nekkid' over and over again. Caller ID confirmed the call came from my local Office Troth. So I called Office Troth and they said they had no interest in seeing me nekkid. They had apparently been having similar problems the whole week." Sam Samuelson predicts that this could be the beginning of a huge big incredible money making trend, and that you need to buy his Nortel phone protection software before the Virus gets you too! AT&F is confidant in their network, and said in a comment to the press "We're confident in our network and it's security. We buy plenty of software from Sam Samuelson. Under the terms of our contract with Sam's company, we're fully protected from phone Viruses, Worms, Trojans, and the Boogie Man." A company representative said in a taped interview.
This signature has Super Cow Powers
This is my original attempt to post this story, it got rejected, but now that someone else brought it up, I will post my version. Primarily because there are some cool links in it that should be seen:
Yesterday InfoWorld reported a new first for viruses. Believed to be the work of international group 29a, Cabir is the first worm to infect mobile phones! Cabir is a proof of concept worm infecting Symbian mobile phone operating system by Symbian Ltd, used by Nokia. Cabir does not include a malicious payload.
I think that when people talks about Nokia series 60 phones they not only refer to phones whose model number begins with 6. For instance, I've got a Nokia 3200 but this is actually a Series 40 phone. Does anyone know a list of the affected Nokia phones?
Sheesh since the days of MSDOS debug trojans You Do Not Execute Foreign Code.
Damn some people would run others code in their heads when implants are available. Hell they'll probably be running Microsoft Wetware and it won't even take a thought.
I'd go on a Vegan diet but the delivery time from Vega is too long. --brownkitty
I seem to recall that there was a rash of mobile malware in japan a couple years ago. Here's just one I found on a quick search on /.
... Norton Antivirus for Symbian OS then? I own a Nokia series 60 phone, and although I don't leave Bluetooth on all the time, I do use it for transferring data to and from the device and for using it as a mobile internet connection for my laptop.
I'm sure someone will take issue with the definition I use, but I find that it works well for understanding what is going on.
A trojan is characterized by being a program that appears to be something useful that people share; not expecting the ill effects. It has no method of self-propogation.
A virus is a program characterized by its ability to attach itself (infects) other programs. Its primary method of distribution is through infected programs being copied and used on other computers.
A worm is characterised by being able to self-propogate. It makes copies of itself to other computers. The nasty ones require no human intervention. This is commonly done with buffer overflows in network software (eg. Sasser on Windows). Though some have used password guessing as a way to get into UNIX systems.
A mass-mailer is a program characterized by e-mailing itself to people as its main method of propogation. This is a special case of a worm and is very popular; especially on Windows systems with Outlook installed.
The definitions gets real fuzzy when you get a program that uses multiple attacks. It may appear to be a useful program (thus a trojan) then copy itself to open Windows SMB file shares (thus a worm) and attach itself to other programs (thus a virus).
Symantec got it right - this is a worm.
It's a sci-fi book (younger target audience, but fun nevertheless) about a future where everyone is connected to an overcomercialized version of the internet via a direct brain implant. You think pop-ups are bad. Check it out.
Feed, by M.T. Anderson. Review
JGG
no, seriously: if the phone is running WinCE, a VBS-Based Worm would have no problems moving from phones to computers and back. The platform-barrier would be gone.
The same could be said about java-based phones, but i doubt a java-worm ould be very successful, because of the low-level security build into the VM.
I have discovered a truly remarkable sig which this 120 chars is too small to contain.
I wrap my phone in tinfoil.
What happens when the newest worm automatically dials 911. The system would be absolutely swamped, cops would be running around because when someone dials 911 and hangs up they still have to call, many people that actually had an emergency would never get through. It would be a serious disaster.
I'm a firm believer in the philosophy of a ruling class. Especially since I rule. -Randal, Clerks
could come from cell phones now. Or worse, your phone may start innocently distributing spam! Most of the blue tooth enabled phones have data services. I think a funnier worm would randomly dial people in your phonebook effectively letting friends and loved ones hear you bad mouth them.
right at the entrance: "Notice, cell phone useage is prohibited inside the theater. Anyone who's cellphone interrupts the other patrons will be asked to leave immediately"
Something like that. People can set it to vibrate for incoming and go out to the lobby to talk if they want to. If they can use night vision goggles to check for videographers, they can do the same thing to locate cell phone users. They might initally lose some customers from false indignation, but if people knew a local theater was strict on that, they actually might pick up business. I mean, they got all day to yak it up, people go to the movies for a little R&R,to relax and enjoy the flick, enoughs enough already with the thing being glued to people's heads. And if they put up a stink after being asked to leave, no probs, call the heat and have them arrested for trespass or something. I'm a pretty strict personal rights and privacy guy, that means I have to also respect OTHER'S rights as well, and one of them is to be not annoyed basically when you are in public. It sucks we almost have to legislate what used to be known as common courtesy in a lot of instances.
Of course, I boycott movies now, most of them anyway, so the point is moot, I don't drop coin into the MIAAs coffers any longer, but still, I can see where hearing the latest fabulous ringtones in the theater would be teh sux.
do you mean this?
.SIS file, which is automatically installed into the APPS directory when the receiver accepts the transmission.
EPOC.Cabir is a proof-of-concept worm that replicates on Nokia Series 60 phones. This worm repeatedly sends itself to the first Bluetooth-enabled device that it can find, regardless of the type of device. For example, even a Bluetooth-enabled printer will be attacked if it is within range.
The worm spreads as a
When EPOC.Cabir is executed, it:
* Displays a message (see the "Technical Details" section), then copies itself to a directory on the phone. (This directory is not visible, by default.)
* Runs from this directory when the phone is restarted, so that it continues to work even if the files are deleted from the APPS directory.
Once the worm is running, it will constantly search for Bluetooth-enabled devices, and send itself to the first device that it finds.
There is no payload, apart from the vastly shortened battery life caused by the constant scanning for Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Also Known As: Worm.Symbian.Cabir.a [Kaspersky], Cabir [F-Secure]
Type: Worm
Infection Length: 15104 (caribe.sis), 11944 (caribe.app), 11498 (flo.mdl), 44 (caribe.rsc)
Systems Affected: EPOC
Systems Not Affected: DOS, Linux, Macintosh, Novell Netware, OS/2, UNIX, Windows 2000, Windows 3.x, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP
# Rapid Response Virus Definitions
June 14, 2004
worked fine for me on slow old dialup, must be where you are physcially located and the hops or something
zogger
at least not here. go to http://www.erowid.org/ . good site with tons of stuff on the subject.
This is the first report!
there is no phone.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
The sad thing is some prick is going to get their kicks out of making a virus that will cause these mobile phones to constantly call 911, and it could place lives at risk by jamming 911 call centers. Didn't they already have a computer virus like that which used modems?
Exactly how many people do you expect to go to the site in your .sig after that comment? ;-)
heheh, good question!
but really, the thought of making a dialer program that dialed to some paynumber I would buy has crossed my mind, because even when you would label it as EXPENSIVE_DIALER.sis or THIS_WILL_COST_YOU_9.95$_PER_MINUTE.sis some fuckers would still download it. it could even have huge warnings that the program is expensive to run and yet even then some guys would run it if they found it on some warez site.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
Not long.
But why wait, if you have Bluetooth access to people all you need to do is plant a Bluetooth device on a busy street crossing, and spam ads to everyone who walks past.
Karma: It's all a bunch of tree-huggin' hippy crap!
If they'd written it in Java, it would be able to infect more than Series 60 devices... pretty much any device with MIDP 1.0 and the Bluetooth API. :-)
Although how many phones have the Bluetooth API I wonder...
Karma: It's all a bunch of tree-huggin' hippy crap!
There was an article posted above on this, and since I read that one first, THIS one is the dupe, not that one. :P
I already have to remove GAIN from my parents computer every second day, now their phones too?
Think of the real cost, hundreds of geek-hours wasted fixing family member's mobile devices...
Those bastards.
"The stupider people think you are, the more surprised they will be when you kill them..."
Isn't that actually a benefit? I'd love to be able to come to work without my handy-dandy cell phone. But, the folks in Florida need to be able to contact me here in Massachusetts. My wife and parents like being able to check in to see how I am. I'd love to leave it at home, but it's just not possible.
http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/hoaxes/hoax5.asp?H Name=Mobile+Phone+Virus+Hoax
Yep, here it is, the solution. Let's buy a Linux phone! :) I wonder if BSD could be made a mobile OS too.
;)
Other than Linux and BSD, phones could have OS'es like Geos, BeOS, OS/2, etc. But God forbid, no Windows!
- Voice of Ambience -
I think you'll have a hard time convincing someone with the nickname "Dagny Taggart" to shop at Goodwill. ;-)
There's not much information about the software on their site though - only that it is a part of the F-Secure Mobile Services platform they announced in October last year.
//Omegas
Seems to me that a small change to the code would have made this a lot more successful. Basically, this worm overstresses its host and kills it by draining the battery.
The battery drain apparently results from constant Bluetooth scanning, which means the worm is more likely to be noticed (poor phone performance) and less likely to spread (shorter phone uptime and more likely to be removed by the owner).
I can't see the benefit of constant scanning. Where the host is constantly on the move, two scans back to back are less likely to find an new host to infect than two scans say half an hour apart.
Putting the Bluetooth scans on an intermittent cycle would have been more likely to infect other phones by camouflaguing the worm's presence and increasing the likelihood that each individual scan would find an uninfected host. The battery drain looks to me like a side-effect of careless design rather than a malicious payload.
Look to infectious agents in nature - the successful ones are those that don't kill the host.
I think PDAs are a bigger potential problem. Seems to me that these are prime Typhoid Marys. They are designed to be carried from location to location with the owner and so are likely to be harder to spot and track. I suspect that there's a good population of wireless-enabled PDAs with enough space and power for a worm to hide away in and without much or anything in the way of antivirus software to protect them. They are commonly used for communications applications, especially email and are regularly hooked up to PCs and the Internet.
Tahya al-Moqawama al-Iraqiya!
11 September comes again to American shores, soon. The blood of our brothers in Iraq will be avenged by the blood of Americans one thousand times over. Their cities will be ablaze.
DEATH TO AMERICAN DOGS AND THE ZIONISTS THAT CONTROL THEM.
Tahya al-Moqawama al-Iraqiya!