RE: Symbian S60/Mobile Security: Malware and Spyware attacks in the wild?

["Murda Mcloud" <murdamcloud () bigpond com>]

Hey Pranav-your story is anecdotal too. I don't have access to hard data
which points to rampant phone viruses and as you have said, be careful what
you install.

> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: listbounce () securityfocus com [mailto:listbounce () securityfocus com]
> > On Behalf Of Pranav Lal
> > Sent: Thursday, November 27, 2008 3:30 AM
> > To: security-basics () securityfocus com
> > Subject: RE: Symbian S60/Mobile Security: Malware and Spyware attacks in
> > the wild?
> >
> > Murda,
> > <snip This may be anecdotal, but I don't know anyone who has ever had a
> > virus on a
> > symbian based (or any other) phone. Unlike people who use PC's.
> > PL] a colleague of mine had left his Bluetooth in able on his mobile
> > phone.
> > At some point, he received a Bluetooth message from an infected device.
> > He
> > unconsciously answered yes. Needless to say, his phone was infected. I am
> > not sure if a phone antivirus would have helped. With mobile phones, my
> > own
> > belief is that as long as you are careful about what to install and
> > insure
> > that you have connectivity options disabled unless you are using them,
> > you
> > don't really need any other security application.
> >
> > Pranav
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: listbounce () securityfocus com [mailto:listbounce () securityfocus com]
> > On
> > Behalf Of Murda Mcloud
> > Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 3:57 AM
> > To: 'Sven Aluoor'; security-basics () securityfocus com
> > Subject: RE: Symbian S60/Mobile Security: Malware and Spyware attacks in
> > the
> > wild?
> >
> > Here's good place to start:
> >
> > http://3lib.ukonline.co.uk/viruses.htm
> >
> > I think that pirated software is a most risky proposition-as with
> > anything
> > where the user initiates installation.
> >
> > Personally, I think there is a greater risk of having your phone stolen
> > and
> > your data compromised than anything else.
> >
> > This may be anecdotal, but I don't know anyone who has ever had a virus
> > on a
> > symbian based (or any other) phone. Unlike people who use PC's.
> >
> >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: listbounce () securityfocus com
> > [mailto:listbounce () securityfocus com]
> > > > On Behalf Of Sven Aluoor
> > > > Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 7:27 AM
> > > > To: security-basics () securityfocus com
> > > > Subject: Symbian S60/Mobile Security: Malware and Spyware attacks in
> > the
> > > > wild?
> > > >
> > > > Hi folks
> > > >
> > > > I have a few questions regarding Symbian Security (and general mobile
> > > > security):
> > > >
> > > > - Why there are virus scanners for Symbian? Are they
> > > > useful? What countermeasures they implement? Or they make only the
> > > > vendors rich?
> > > >
> > > > - What are common attacks on Symbian based devices?
> > > >
> > > > - How to harden a Symbian mobile phone?
> > > >
> > > > - Are there malware and spyware in the wild?
> > > >
> > > > - When I would download pirated software for Symbian, what is the
> > risk?
> > > > kind regards
> > > > Sven