Comments on: Skulls program carries Cabir worm into phones

New version of the Skulls Trojan releases the cell phone worm, a security firm warns.

Cabir worm on Symbian - expect more of that!

One should not forget that platforms like Symbian and PocketPC make it easy for worms to spread. I'm suprised that worms have not more massively spread on those platforms yet, but it's just a matter of time.

Symbian OS allows native code to be downloaded and executed. There is no verification of the code executed. For example, an apparently harmless application labelled "personal diary" can turn into something malicious after installation and there is nothing the platform will do to prevent that. That's exactly what's happening with Skulls/Cabir.

[aldsimworks]

Viruses will proliferate

You're right, mobile phones are a perfect breeding ground for viruses and we're bound to see them turning up more and more frequently.

Trojan's are nothing new however - you can install programs onto your PC too that appear to do something useful but are in fact malicious. I think that if a PC doesn't do something then expecting a smartphone, with its correspondingly smaller resources, probably is asking too much.

As with PC's, there is no simple answer to the problem of viruses and other malware for phones. The Symbian Signed program is a start (you can rely on a Symbian Signed app not to be malicious) but ultimately most of the software that people download to their phones will not be signed and so fairly shortly we'll all need to pick up one of the Symbian anti-virus applications that are now available through sites like Handango.

Kind regards,
Aaron Davidson.
http://www.simworks.biz

[Ubber geek]

matter of time

http://www.analogstereo.com/chrysler_lebaron_owners_manual.htm

Cabir worm on Symbian - expect more of that!

One should not forget that platforms like Symbian and PocketPC make it easy for worms to spread. I'm suprised that worms have not more massively spread on those platforms yet, but it's just a matter of time.

Symbian OS allows native code to be downloaded and executed. There is no verification of the code executed. For example, an apparently harmless application labelled "personal diary" can turn into something malicious after installation and there is nothing the platform will do to prevent that. That's exactly what's happening with Skulls/Cabir.

[aldsimworks]

Viruses will proliferate

You're right, mobile phones are a perfect breeding ground for viruses and we're bound to see them turning up more and more frequently.

Trojan's are nothing new however - you can install programs onto your PC too that appear to do something useful but are in fact malicious. I think that if a PC doesn't do something then expecting a smartphone, with its correspondingly smaller resources, probably is asking too much.

As with PC's, there is no simple answer to the problem of viruses and other malware for phones. The Symbian Signed program is a start (you can rely on a Symbian Signed app not to be malicious) but ultimately most of the software that people download to their phones will not be signed and so fairly shortly we'll all need to pick up one of the Symbian anti-virus applications that are now available through sites like Handango.

Kind regards,
Aaron Davidson.
http://www.simworks.biz

[Ubber geek]

matter of time

http://www.analogstereo.com/chrysler_lebaron_owners_manual.htm

[aldsimworks]

Camtimer.b now discovered

Symbian virus writers have now decided to have another go at this. SimWorks has identified a new variant of the Camtimer/Cabir combo originally included in Skulls b, this time seperate from the Skulls trojan.

The Cabir worm found in Skulls.b was packaged with an application called Camtimer, a piece of free Nokia software. The Camtimer/Cabir.b worm combo (Camtimer.a) packaged with Skulls.b was not pack correctly and the Cabir virus would not auto-start.

This new variant, Camtimer.b has been packaged correctly and so in this version Cabir will auto-start.

The installation file for Camtimer.b is called CAMTIMER.sis and Series 60 phone users should exercise caution if downloading this from untrusted sites and consider purchasing anti-virus software for their phones from reputable sites such as Handango.

Best regards,
Aaron Davidson.
http://www.simworks.biz

[aldsimworks]

Camtimer.b now discovered

Symbian virus writers have now decided to have another go at this. SimWorks has identified a new variant of the Camtimer/Cabir combo originally included in Skulls b, this time seperate from the Skulls trojan.

The Cabir worm found in Skulls.b was packaged with an application called Camtimer, a piece of free Nokia software. The Camtimer/Cabir.b worm combo (Camtimer.a) packaged with Skulls.b was not pack correctly and the Cabir virus would not auto-start.

This new variant, Camtimer.b has been packaged correctly and so in this version Cabir will auto-start.

The installation file for Camtimer.b is called CAMTIMER.sis and Series 60 phone users should exercise caution if downloading this from untrusted sites and consider purchasing anti-virus software for their phones from reputable sites such as Handango.

Best regards,
Aaron Davidson.
http://www.simworks.biz