Interesting People mailing list archives
final on more on Information about Mosquitos Trojan
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2004 13:23:46 -0400
Begin forwarded message: From: Peter Lowe <pgl () yoyo org> Date: August 15, 2004 11:21:06 AM EDT To: David Farber <dave () farber net> Subject: Re: [IP] more on Information about Mosquitos Trojan For IP, if you like. It's not a Trojan, it is there by design: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/11/mosquitos_malware_myth/ Mosquitos smartphone 'Trojan' there by design By John Leyden Published Wednesday 11th August 2004 13:31 GMT The Mosquitos Symbian dialler Trojan is not really a Trojan horse after all. Many news outlets, including ourselves, reported that a "trojanised" version of Mosquitos game for Symbian Series 60 smartphones was circulating online and across P2P networks. Cracked versions of the game secretly sends SMS messages to premium rate numbers, according to reports on various online forums. Illegal copies of the game display the following message on start-up: "This version has been cracked by SODDOM BIN LOADER No rights reserved. Pirate copies are illegal and offenders will have lotz of phun!!!" Yesterday Symbian put out a statement which contributed to the impression that malign code was inserted into 'cracked' versions of the game by members of the computer underground. However it turns out that the hidden SMS functionality, along with a message written in the best vernacular VXer speak, was put in the game from the beginning by the original games publisher Ojom. In an advisory, AV firm F-Secure explains: "This functionality was intended to be a copy-protecting technique - it didn't work as planned and the whole functionality backfired. "The premium rate contracts for the phone numbers have been terminated, so although old versions of the game still send hidden SMS messages, it only costs the nominal fee of sending the message itself. Current versions of this game no longer have this hidden functionality, but 'cracked' versions of Mosquitos still float in P2P network - and they still send these messages," it adds. So what appeared to be a Trojan is actually a rather sneaky and somewhat ineffective copy-protection technique. Proof that even if something looks like a duck, talks like a duck and walks like a duck it isn't necessarily Anas platyrhynchos. Although the Mosquitos saga turns out to be an urban myth, the recent discovery of the first malware capable of infecting smartphones shatters the comforting belief the mobile phones are safe from viral infection. The threat is very low at present but shouldn't be completely discounted. Ž On Aug 14, David Farber wrote:
Begin forwarded message: From: Monty Solomon <monty () roscom com> Date: August 14, 2004 1:57:12 AM EDT To: undisclosed-recipient:; Subject: Information about Mosquitos Trojan http://www.symbian.com/press-office/2004/pr040810.html Information about Mosquitos Trojan Symbian is aware that an illegally adapted or 'cracked' game called Mosquitos is being distributed by 'warez' websites (illegal software download sites) and on peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. This game has been illegally adapted from the legitimate Mosquitos game developed by Ojom. If installed by the user, the illegal game may cause the phone to send text messages to premium rate numbers without the user's approval or knowledge. Symbian offers the following summary information and advice: ... http://www.symbian.com/press-office/2004/pr040810.html ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as pgl () yoyo org To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ipArchives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
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- final on more on Information about Mosquitos Trojan David Farber (Aug 15)