Should I worry about cell phone viruses?
It depends on your phone and data.
The first media reports of cell phone virus sightings came last year, with sightings in the U.S. this year. Phones that use the Symbian Series 60 operating system seem to be the target of choice. This includes phones from LG, Nokia, Samsung, Lenovo, Panasonic, Siemens and a few others.
As of March 7, one could download a copy of the first Multimedia Messaging Service virus, CommWarrior. Fortunately, F-Secure spotted it the same day, as did SimWork s.
We need to be smarter about securing them and personal-area networks. Turn off Bluetooth when you’re not using it. Practice safe phone habits. Watch your bills for calls you didn’t make. Find out what OS your phone uses and how to secure it. Look for anti-virus software for your PC that can screen what gets delivered through a docking station.
The real dangers today are viruses (such as CommWarrior) that could initiate calls. Malicious outbound dialers can cost customers lots of money. Searching Google for “Symbian anti-virus” will return several anti-virus options for your phone.
