The Malware Attack Against Mobile Phones is Mounting

HELSINKI, Finland -- Dec. 22, 2004 -- The security challenges in the mobile environment are similar to the problems we have encountered in the PC world. Open platforms are becoming popular in smartphones, for example the Symbian operating system is used in more than 20 million mobile phones at the moment.

In spring 2004, a trojanized game called Mosquitos was found. It secretly sent messages to expensive toll numbers, creating invisible costs for the user.

June 15th: Cabir worm was found. Cabir is a worm that replicates over-the-air using bluetooth connections.

June 16th: Cabir.B is found. This new variant had minor differences compared to the original.

During the autumn, Cabir.B started spreading in the wild. It has been detected in several countries since, including China, India, Turkey, Philippines and Finland. It continues spreading today, travelling from one country to another as people with infected phones travel.

November 19th: Skulls.A trojan is found. It replaces icons on the phone with skull images, making the phone almost useless.

November 29th: Skulls.B is found

December 9th: Cabir.C is found

December 9th: Cabir.D is found

December 9th: Cabir.E is found

December 21st: Skulls.C is found

December 21st: Cabir.F is found

December 21st: Cabir.G is found

This last batch of malware was distributed masked as a pirate version of a popular game for mobile phones; when run, it installs Skulls and Cabir variants and tries to attack security products installed on the phone. It also tries to disable F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus but fails.

In the future, it is likely that we will also see new kinds of attacks: trojan horses in games, screensavers and other applications -- resulting in false billing, unwanted disclosure of stored information, and deleted or stolen user data.The best way to protect a smartphone against harmful content is to install automated antivirus software to the phone. This is also the only way to get full protection against viruses that try to enter the phone for example over Bluetooth or internet connections.

F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus is the most comprehensive solution available for protecting smartphones against harmful content, from undesired messages to malfunctioning applications. It provides real-time, on-device protection and automatic over-the-air antivirus updates through a patented SMS update mechanism and HTTPS connections.

More information about Mobile offerings from:

http://www.f-secure.com/wireless/

Please visit our weblog of the F-Secure Antivirus Research Team: http://www.europe.f-secure.com/weblog/

About F-Secure

F-Secure Corporation protects individuals and businesses against computer viruses and other threats coming through the Internet or mobile networks. Our award-winning solutions include antivirus and desktop firewall with intrusion prevention. Our key strength is the speed of response to new threats. For businesses our solutions feature centralized management. Founded in 1988, F-Secure has been listed on the Helsinki Exchanges since 1999. We have our headquarters in Helsinki, Finland, and offices in USA, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Japan. F-Secure is supported by a global ecosystem of value added resellers and distributors in over 50 countries. F-Secure protection is also available through major Internet Service Providers, such as Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom and Charter Communications.

Contact Information

Jaana Sirkiä

Communications Manager

F-Secure Corporation

Contact via E-mail