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Mobile virus a
distant reality
Is there actually a possibility of a virus infecting cellphones? To understand the possibility of such a situation we have to understand how a mobile phone works. The most common of mobile phones use the wireless application protocol (WAP). WAP is based on the same model as Web communications in that a central server delivers code, which is run by a browser installed on the mobile phone or organiser. It is important to note, though, that there is nowhere on current WAP mobile devices where a virus can harbour itself. Unlike a PC, a WAP mobile phone is not able to store the applications it uses. Also, there is no way a virus would be able to spread to other WAP users. Current WAP-enabled mobile phones do not allow for communication between ‘client’ phones. Simply put, code passes from the mobile phone company’s server down to the users’ mobile phone, but not vice versa, or from one mobile phone to another. The bottom line in this case is that mobile phones and WAP mobile devices are simply not sophisticated enough to be infected at the present time. However, consumer demand for increased functionality often means that manufacturers are keen to develop the technology required to meet user requirements. As these mobile devices become more complex, the opportunities for viruses to infect them may also increase. PDA problems What about palmtop computers and PDAs - Can they be infected by computer viruses? PDAs run specially written scaled-down operating systems, such as EPOC, PalmOS or PocketPC. They are often connected to home or office PCs to synchronise the data between the two machines. This presents an opportunity for viruses to spread onto them. Yet, no viruses currently exist for the PocketPC and EPOC operating systems, although there is no technical reason why they could not be written. There is a virus called Palm/Phage, which is able to infect Palm OS, but it is not in the wild and poses little threat. Nonetheless, it is sensible to keep backups of any Palm applications and data. There is also a Trojan horse known as Palm/Liberty-A, which is able to infect the Palm OS. It deletes Palm OS applications and was distributed in the ‘Warez’ community. Like Phage, it is low risk and you are unlikely to ever encounter it. Future Inevitably, the evolution of mobile and PDA technology will bring with it the development of further security. The issue here is where you implement anti-virus measures. The most efficient way to protect mobile devices is to check data when you transfer it to or from the device. For mobile phones, the WAP gateway would be a good place to install virus protection. All communications pass through this gateway, providing an ideal opportunity for virus scanning. As mobile phones become increasingly interconnected, it will be difficult to police data transfer at a central point. In the case of PDAs, one solution would be to deploy anti-virus software during data synchronisation with a conventional PC. Moving forward, there will be an increasing requirement to put anti-virus software on individual phones and PDAs. However, this can only happen when these devices have sufficient processing power and memory. Take it easy It is easy to get carried
away with the threat of potential viruses on mobile devices. However,
much of the hype is unsubstantiated and based on speculation. There have
been some ludicrous suggestions about viruses. At the moment, because a
virus is limited by the functionality of the platform it infects, mobile
devices are just not sophisticated enough to allow widespread virus
infection. The current trend seems to
be for people to worry about the potential threats of tomorrow, which
may never come to fruition, as opposed to the real risks of today. The
best advice to follow is to remain alert to what the dangers are right
here, right now and to protect against them. While you’re concerning
yourself about the future, you could be missing what’s right under
your nose. |
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A
couple of weeks ago, mobile phone users received a mail warning about a
virus floating around the mobile world. According to this mail, if a
user received a call that displayed ACE-? in the caller display portion
then the call should immediately be disconnected as this call was
actually a virus, that could infect the mobile.