Technology and Gadget Blog

Virus Attacks on cellphones

An increase in virus attacks has been seen globally in October 2009, and it is only the beginning.

I warned about virus on the smart phones to become a growing problem as early as in May 2009. The attacks so far have been less malicious than just to prove that the cellphones are vulnerable to attacks through various ways.
The fact that the cellphones are less protected than the PC’s makes us believe what we see now is only a beginning.
You should begin to check your phone bill more closely now, as a virus has been found that makes your phone make a call on its own.
This is the first virus where we see some economic gain can be found, and we will talk about large money here. Just taking some few cents from each phone would make billions of dollars globally.
The hackers industry is on the loose, and they really want your money – and they are not shy of any methods to get it from you.

As a background, you can read some of the articles i have written about this issue previously. There can be some learning lessons in these articles as well.
October 2009
http://www.articlesbase.com/cell-phones-articles/first-virus-in-iphone-1438450.html
September 2009
http://www.articlesbase.com/cell-phones-articles/avoid-to-get-the-first-virus-on-your-iphone-1438490.html
June 2009
http://www.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/iphone-and-ipod-touch-are-vulnerable-to-hackers-and-new-viruses-950916.html
May 2009
http://www.articlesbase.com/cell-phones-articles/hackers-will-attack-cellphones-with-sms-bluetooth-and-other-innovative-ways-be-aware-912220.html
http://www.articlesbase.com/cell-phones-articles/virus-on-your-cell-phone-possible-or-not-912285.html

This is how you secure your cell phone

It is totally irresponsible of any company to not install anti-virus software on their cell phones, however it goes for all of us individual users as well.
So far there has been seen as no need to install any anti-virus software on the cellphones as attacks have not been around for so long. However, there are several things you can do yourself to avoid viruses on your phone.
Turn off the bluetooth function when you are not using this function on the phone. Virus can be transferred through the bluetooth system and the probability will increase that someone will take over your phone.
Do not open files or MMS that you did not expect to get or know about in forehand.
If you surf on the internet with your cellphone, avoid pages you are not sure of or have no knowledge about at all. You have to remember that you probably are better protected visiting the same pages with your PC since it has a anti-virus software protecting you. The Cellphone is just like a PC without the anti-virus software installed.
You can buy a anti-virus software through the internet, however you can not find any proven good anti-virus software for free for your cellphone yet.

E-mail is vulnerable in particular.
You would hardly think of surfing the internet or running a email program without using a anti-virus software on your PC. However, the smart phones have become like mini-computers with an operating system and add-on software which all are vulnerable to virus attacks.
It is just here the cyber criminals have found an interest to tap into. The hackers are no longer the boys in the boys room sitting and making codes just to prove themselves. They are now part of an industry funded by major criminal organizations able to create malicious software with almost no limits any longer.
However, the problem is that most of the users do not even know how to install antivirus software on the cellphone.
This is a problem that face lots of cellphone users today, and it just indicate that if you want to have a sophisticated cellphone, then you need to become a more sophisticated and knowledgeable user. However, one can say that sellers of the hardware should take some responsibility to enhance security of the use of their product.
You do not sell a car without complying to some safety regulations and measures.  And this lead back to the regulators, that they have no regulations on how safe a cellphone should be to attacks, and maybe this will wake up the legislators to demand some safety measures a hardware should comply with before it is sold into the consumer market.
No smart cellphone to be sold without any proven anti-virus technology enabling the user to feel some safety when using this product. Yes, it will increase the price of the product, but i believe the users will be willing to take this cost given the dangers he or she can be exposed to with a cellphone that is not protected at all.
So far there have not been any complaints in major scale based on the latest calling virus found on the cellphones.
So far you are responsible for any use of your cellphone number and have to pay to the provider any costs associated with your cellphone number.
This is were the conflict starts, who should be responsible to provide a secure service – the users or the provider?
There are several examples of people complaining of phone bill exceeding what they thought they could have been responsible for. However, it is almost impossible for the users to win through with these cases, as collecting evidence could only be done by the provider itself, which is part in the case. The consumer is bound to have lost. It is here the legislators should put some demands to the providers to be able to protect their users. The providers says they are not responsible for the virus attacks and can not be held responsible. On the other hand they provide a service that is prone to virus attacks, and should feel morally obliged to protect their consumer and clients.
We are having a mighty challenge at hand in the near future as these virus attacks will become more frequent and have more stealth power than today.
There are examples produced in the last few weeks of cellphones been taken over and started producing cellphone calls by itself, without any interference of the owner of the phone and the subscription. These examples shows that the phone has begun systematically calling phone The calls varies from few seconds to several minutes and will give the users an extra cost of few cents to Euros or USD pr call.
One examples shown to the public is that one cellphone made around 100 calls during a period of 2 days. It was only found since the user wanted to check why the phone bill showed a discrepancy from previous bills he had.
The evidence that this was a virus, comes from the fact that the calls did not show up on the cellphone call log at all. There is no doubt at all, the cellphone has been taken over by a virus.
This is only the beginning as the cyber criminals have found out tht it is very easier to take over your phone than your PC, as most have antivirus protection on the PC’s but not on the cellphones.
They have also found a very easy way to take money from the users as these services will be directed and used towards special phone services owned by the cyber criminals and t
herefore will get easy income from the users.
You might ask now, how is the phone infected in the first place?
There are several ways this can happen, but the most probable is that the owner has received a MMS with a virus infected file that takes over the phone. You might levee you open a photo, but in the background the cellphone loads a virus to be hidden on your cellphone.
Another way this method can occur is through surfing on the internet as some web pages have photos with this type of malicious code attached to it.
Another way is through the bluetooth system as files can be loaded onto your cellphone without your knowledge at all.

It is very difficult to detect these attacks and the only measure so far, is to double check your phone bill and make sure you can account for the calls made there. If not, then you should consider the fact that you have been attacked and there is a need to clean your cellphone to avoid further take over of the cell phone.

By taking over your phone, the cyber criminals will gain information on your cellphone which can be valuable, like email adresses and information inside these (sensitive information, passwords, number, accunts etc)
A virus can also make the phone to call expensive pay services abroad and the owners of these services can make a hugh amount of money on this.
Some viruses are just what it is – a virus to demonstrate a methodology or a way to contribute to the open source society amongst the cyber criminals to gain more knowledge about how to exploit your phone.

The best way to avoid attacks on your cellphone is of course to install a anti-virus program and not to open any files you have no idea were they come from.
The virus is not placed on the SIM card (as of yet not found that is), but is installed in the operating system on the phone itself.

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Modern Technology has created many wonderful things, none more efficient and renowned though, it seems, than the cell phone. This small, compact device lets you stay in touch with anyone in the world, at any time. And there is so much more you can do nowadays with the cell phone than just talk, like send and receive e-mail, text message, browse the Web and download games and music, even pay your bill, not to mention the heavier side of communication with your cell phone like streaming video and other data applications as Microsdoft Powerpoint and Word. Cell phones can also be operated by voice command, using a virtual automated assistant, which will do the dialing for you.

The cell phone, or as referred to as a mobile, wireless, or cellular device, is a short-range, portable electronic device which is used for the transfer of voice or data over a network, for example a CDMA network. A Definition from Mobile Computing News: CDMA (code-division multiple access) refers to any of several protocols used in so-called second-generation (2G) and third-generation (3G) wireless communications. As the term implies, CDMA is a form of multiplexing, which allows numerous signals to occupy a single transmission channel, optimizing the use of available bandwidth. The technology is used in ultra-high-frequency (UHF) cellular telephone systems in the 800-MHz and 1.9-GHz bands.

In 2007, the total cell phone subscriptions around the world reached nearly 3.3 billion. It is a technology that has exploded beyond measure, an industrial revolution in its own right. This makes the cellphone a valuable commodity. So, with cell phone thefts rising every year, it would be a good idea to keep track of your cell phone at all times. Of course, if someone steals it and it is equipped with GPS technology, Global Position System, well just track it. GPS has a great history as to where it came from decades ago, and now, not just for military purposes, has become a part of civilian use in areas of navigation, getting directions, or making sure your kid goes to school in the morning. One of my friends has that, it alerts him when his son has entered the school, pretty ingenious!

Need a Cell Phone?

Everyone has one today, it’s amazing! Many want them too, but have problems getting one. We live in a society today where there are many credit problems, and with an economy as uncertain at times as ours, many are foreclosing homes, having cars repossessed, and filing for bankcruptcy. It’s sad, and it’s not right. Do not loose the ability to stay in touch with the ones you love even if bad credit hounds you. You will get past these bad times, have hope! In the mean time you need to find an affordable, reliable way to keep the communication alive in your life…. cell phones that are affordable, a service that accomodates your needs!Do not be fooled by fast talking sales people,understand what you are signing up for, ask questions. Find a company with a good selection of wireless cell phone services,good affordable phones, and a great plan selection,

There a companies that offer plans with:

- No Contract,

- No Credit Check,

- And No Deposits!

- Changeable service plans when you want, without being charged!

- A convenient automatic monthly payment plan. No credit card needed.

These places exist you have to be willing to do some research.

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Cellphone usage worldwide numbers in the billions. If there is a possibility of injury from these devices, then a lot of people will be affected.

A cellphone is actually a radio transmitter and receiver. It sends and recieves radio frequency electromagnetic waves. The received signals are fairly low level, so I will concentrate on the signal transmitted from the cellphone.

Cellphones transmit mainly at frequencies of 900, 1800 and 1900 Megahertz (MHz). A microwave oven cooks food using a frequency of 915 MHz or 2450 MHz. In other words, the food is not fussy about what frequency you use, as long as it’s in that range, say 900 to 2500 MHz. Which means, cellphones use Microwave Oven frequencies.

A microwave oven puts out a power of about 1000 watts, on average. If you put your head in a microwave oven, it will take about an hour to cook to a nice sizzling crisp.

A cellphone transmits at a power of about 3 watts, and it self adjusts it’s power continually to compensate for poor signal paths, up to a maximum of 5 to 7 watts. Not much, but there’s a twist…

A microwave oven spreads it’s radiation over the whole oven cavity, so that the food is cooked uniformly.

A cellphone has a tiny, array antenna, measuring maybe 2 or 3 cm in length, and it’s right next to your ear. So 5 watts of power is radiating into your head into an area of perhaps 3cm by 0.75cm. That’s a lot of power when concentrated in such a small area.

The cellphone manufacturers have said that they have put “shields” into their phones to keep radiation risks to a minimum.

If you turn around while making a call, does the call cut out or the audio disappear at any time? No, it doesn’t. Radio waves, like light waves, travel in a straight line. If your head got in between the cellphone and the cell transmitter tower, then the signal should be blocked (shielded) by the shield in the phone, as the waves can’t bend once they’ve left the phone.

Which means that those microwaves are going through your head, all the time.

Whenever you’re “on the phone,” you are being microwaved just like the roast in your microwave oven.

So What Can You Do?

If you’ve got a handsfree kit, use it if it’s practical. Don’t use bluetooth – it also transmits radiowaves close to your head, albeit at different frequencies.

If your phone has a loudspeaker, switch it on and speak at a distance. The guy on the other side will still hear you perfectly.

Buy phones with a low Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)

Don’t let children make long calls. Their soft skuls are much more affected than the hard heads of adults. (See “The Stewart Report.”)

Swop ears every minute or so, to give your head time to “cool down” on that side.

Don’t hold the phone next to your ear while connecting – this is when it transmits at maximum power.

Avoid making calls in weak reception areas, as the cellphone will boost it’s output power to make sure it stays connected.

Keep your conversations short.

Use SMS’s whenever possible.

Avoid sleeping with a cellphone under your pillow. Cellphones transmit even when you are not using them, exchanging data and checking signal strength, at regular intervals.

Avoid carrying the cellphone close to your body. This applies especially to the breast pocket of people with heart problems.

Use a landline whenever possible.

Many people have proven health problems from cellphone usage, brain tumors being the most common, followed by loss of memory, impaired brain function and other symptons. Usually these symptons take a few years to surface.

By taking the simple precautions listed above, we can actually save our lives. Tell your friends too. There’s a lot of people out there that need to know these facts.

You can thank me later!

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