Virus warnings

Anti-virus software companies have been accused of scaremongering to boost sales of their products, but although mobile virus numbers have a long way to go before they reach the scale of their PC counterparts, the reality is they are here already.

Not only can they corrupt mobile devices and enable the pilfering of personal data and money, they also have the potential to bring down entire mobile networks.

There are currently just 400 known mobile viruses in existence, compared with up to 300,000 detected versions of PC malware, but the threat is rising. In June, one European mobile network detected 21 new variants of the CommWarrior virus family among its user base. A 28-year-old man was arrested the same month in Spain on suspicion of creating and spreading more than 20 variants of both the CommWarrior and Cabir viruses, infecting more than 115,000 smartphones across Europe.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for IT security and control firm Sophos, says: Mobile phone viruses are not nearly as common as the malware that strikes Windows desktops on a regular basis, but they are just as illegal in their intent. Viruses are not harmless pranks; they disrupt business and personal communications, as well as destroying and stealing sensitive data.

Chief technology officer for anti-virus software manufacturer UMU Peter Harrison says: Instances of new viruses or variants of existing viruses used to be big news. It is now happening every week.

Harrison defines the new breeds of mobile phone viruses in two categories; malicious spyware available commercially and malware that is still in development. He explains: Commercial spyware is the most advanced and has the ability to copy texts that you have sent and received, log calls and even listen in on calls. This is readily available because people can use it as a way to track things down, such as whether their partner is cheating on them.

Non-commercial malware is still in the experimental stages, he adds, with creators exploring avenues to infect devices to obtain information and make a phone behave abnormally. But the programs are mature enough to create trouble for a mobile phone user, he warns.

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