Since 2004, cell phones have been targeted by forms of viruses in the same way as computers are.
Mobile phone viruses --- designed to disrupt and damage cell phone software --- have been around since 2004, as reported by the Techworld website. Similar to viruses that target personal computers, cell phone viruses are passed from one device to another and attack operating systems if opened by the user. Once established, the virus finds another device to transfer to, typically by scanning the area for cell phones.
Cabir
Cabir is known as the first reported cell-phone virus, and was first discovered in the Philippines in 2004; it later spread to other countries, including France and Japan. According to the Techworld news website, Canir was released by the 29A virus writers group, who designed the virus to prove that a computer virus could attack cell phone systems. Cabir affects cell phones that use the Symbian operating system and requires Bluetooth technology to allow it to spread between devices. The virus reconfigures phones and forces the phone's display to show the word "Caribe" or the code "Caribe-VZ-29A" on the screen. The virus has affected phones from brands such as Nokia and Siemens.
The Cabir virus isn't an especially effective virus, as noted by the Techworld website. It can install itself only on a limited amount of phones, and it can't launch itself unless the user downloads and installs the relevant file.
Commwarrior
Commwarrior is a form of Trojan virus, a type of malicious virus that is prevalent on computer systems. The Commwarrior virus, which appeared in 2006, was most virulent in Spain. According to the TechQuark website, Commwarrior affected about 100,000 phones in that country in one year. The virus affects phones running the Symbian S60 Second Edition system, produced by Nokia.
Commwarrior works by copying itself entirely; it contains code that can damage a cell phone system or network. The virus can spread in two ways. It can spread via MMS messages, which can take the form of picture or audio files. In this case, Commwarrior sends an MMS file, typically to contacts on an infected phone. Users who open this infected file receive the Commwarrior virus. Alternatively, the virus can spread using a phone's Bluetooth feature, scanning the area to find other Bluetooth-enabled phones to send the file to.
InfoJack
InfoJack --- otherwise known as WinCE --- is a form of Trojan virus that exclusively targets Windows Mobile devices. According to the F-Secure website, InfoJack was discovered in 2008 and is malware that's constructed of multiple parts. The virus enters devices by disguising itself as a necessary file attached to legitimate types of software, such as games. The virus then downloads the rest of its code by linking to its own server. The effect of InfoJack is to disable a device's security settings. Software installations on the device are then automatically complete, regardless of any threats to the device they pose, and the InfoJack's server can receive information from the infected device.
Tags: cell phone, cell phones, Commwarrior virus, damage cell, damage cell phone, form Trojan