Mobile Phone Virus Outbreak Disrupts Company
Mobile phone viruses are not yet a major security problem because the volume of phones that have been effected worldwide is statistically negligible, but anecdotal evidence suggests that the threat posed by them appears to be growing. Anti-virus company F-Secure believes that some 55 mobile phone viruses are in circulation worldwide, and countries where cell phones are the most popular appear to be serving as unfortunate case studies. Two weeks ago, Reuters reported that a mobile phone virus spreading between phones via Bluetooth short-range wireless signals had infected scores of phones at the world athletics championships in Helsinki. Now, there are reports of a small company in Scandinavia dealing with a virus outbreak that spread quickly to some 20 employees within the company.
While the virus proved an annoyance rather than a major threat, there are other mobile virus variants that can cause serious disruption to, or even completely disable, mobile phones. With the increasing use of smart phones that incorporate PC functionality and the expectation of constant connectivity by users, it should be no surprise these threats to individual phones are likely to ultimately become threats to the security of sensitive information carried on these devices. The warning signs are certainly there.
Posted by Lance Koonce