Cell Phone Viruses
You know the dangers of viruses and malware for your computer. You take the precautions to protect yourself against harm and you may think that your computer is the only device you own that is susceptible to viruses and malware, but think again! There are other routes hackers can use to infect you and that is through your cell phone, PDAs and other mobile devices.
Think about it – what is your PDA and phone other than just small computers? And they are on one of the largest networks in the world, open to people all around the globe. Just because it does not use Windows does not mean it does not have an operating system and applications just like your computer. Most cell phones and PDAs are traditional harder to break into because most have operating systems and applications burned into a chip. However, there are many new services, such as downloading music and image files that are opening up your devices to potential hazards.
Viruses can live in any type of file. Therefore, if you download an .jpg file to your cell phone, then later decide to upload that same .jpg file to your computer, you could be infecting your computer with that file you downloaded on your cell phone. This is how PCs were originally infected with viruses – through users sharing files via a floppy disk. If your phone is not secured, you could be putting yourself at risk.In addition to the potential to infect your computer, you also can download a virus that affects your cell phone or PDA. What harm could this do to your device? A virus could destroy icons or delete files. So many people today have access to the Internet through their cell phones and PDAs, they forget that this opens up a whole new realm of virus threats. Download the wrong attachment on an email and you can find yourself with a virus that attacks your cell phone or PDA. Hackers are now designing viruses specifically for such devices, even if it does not infect your PC.
Because your cell phone is wireless, you could potentially be infected without taking any actions, such as reading an email, at all. The protocols that are common to many cell phones, such as Bluetooth, let the devices work together. Many use the same Symbian operating system and some even user a version of Windows Mobile. SMS text messaging is another way your cell phone could become infected with a virus. Because the cell phones work wirelessly and on a common platform, there is the potential for someone merely standing near you to infect you with a virus. Think of how many places you visit – the airport, school, work – where there are other people using cell phones or PDAs. How do you know none of them are planning to infect you with a virus?
The answer is that you do not know who may be capable of infecting your device with a virus, so you must protect yourself at all times. Take the same precautions with your cell phone and PDA as you would with your personal computer. Make sure you have a mobile anti-virus application installed and disable any open Bluetooth ports on your cell phone or PDA. If you are not sure how to go about protecting yourself, contact the manufacturer of your device for more information.