Malware, Viruses, Trojans and Worms.

Malware is a term which applies to any software which has a malicious intent. Viruses, Trojans and Worms are all malware, but not visa versa. A computer Virus is a peice of code which attaches its self to an existing application and acts when the original, harmless, application is run. A worm is an application which exploits network vulnerabilities to spread from computer to computer without a carrier application. A Trojan is a peice of software which is benign but creates a way for a hacker to access a computer.

To date there has not be a reported virus, worm or Trojan for Symbian OS, only malware applications. This is because virus, worm or Trojan transmit silently in the PC world, while every piece of malware for Symbian OS has been a stand alone application requiring deliberate installation by the phone's user.

Will They Target Me?

To date the malware applications targeting Symbian OS phones have been exclusively written for Series 60. This simply reflects the higher volume of Series 60 phones in the market. None of the reported viruses affect UIQ or Series 80 based phones.

Protection: Step 1 - Know Your Source

As all known Symbian OS malware needs the user to install it the first line of protection it to know the source of the application. Web portal such as Handango, Jamba! or ClickApps, the portal of a phone vendor or operators will all supply safe quality software. Avoid downloading and sharing anonymous freeware, illegal or cracked versions of software, particularly games, as these are potential fronts for malware.

Protection: Step 2 - Use Bluetooth Wisely

The majority of Symbian OS malware applications have used Bluetooth technology as the transmission mechanism. All relied on the phone they attack having it Bluetooth connection "discoverable". The power consumption of an open Bluetooth technology connection is significant, as a result most users keep Bluetooth off, except for specific tasks such as beaming files or printing. The first line of projection is to keep Bluetooth off when not in use. When Bluetooth is on make sure the "discoverable" feature is switched off. With discoverable off other devices can not detect the existence of the Bluetooth connection, but connections such as printers can still be found by the phone. Finally if Bluetooth is on and discoverable and a malware application tries to send its self the phone will ask if you want to accept the file transfer, obviously, unless you know who the file transfer is from do not accept it.

Protection: Step 3 - Treat Unsolicited Applications Cautiously

The latest development in malware has been CommWarrior. This malware application transmits its self by MMS.

“MMS borne viruses are analogous to the more familiar mass mailing PC viruses and the fact that infected MMS come from somebody that the recipient knows may encourage more people to actually install the infected attachment”. (Source: SimWorks).

So if you were not expecting to receive it, do not install it.

Protection: Step 4 - Anti Virus Software

If you still feel uneasy your could consider installing an Anti-Virus application. There are now quite a few of these products available.

Anti Virus Software - A Solution?

For example, SimWorks (http://www.simworks.biz) produce an Anti-Virus solution for Series 60 and UIQ based phones. Simworks Anti-Virus has been updated recently to provide protection from the CommWarrior virus.