Trojan dialler afflicts Symbian smartphones
Cracked Mosquitos game harbours malware
Posted in Malware, 10th August 2004 16:07 GMT
Free whitepaper – Solid State Drives and High-Speed Memory
Malicious code that dials premium rate numbers without a user's consent has been found in a cracked version of Mosquitos 2.0, a popular game for Symbian Series 60 smartphones.
Illicit copies of the game circulating over P2P networks contain Trojan dialler software, according to reports. As a user is playing a game, the malicious code sends text messages to a premium rate number at a cost of up to £1.50 a throw. Some smartphone users have gone onto mobile forums to warn others of the scam after been stung themselves. The problem only affects cracked (pirated) copies of the game. Regular copies of Mosquito remain safe.
News of the Symbian Trojan dialler comes days after the arrival of the first Trojan for handheld computers running Windows Pocket PC operating system, Brador-A. ®
Related stories
Trojan horse stalks PocketPC
Virus attacks mobiles via Bluetooth
UK premium rate phone complaints rocket
MPs slam premium-rate 'criminal scams'
The Register Guide to Extended Validation
The Evolving Security Landscape
The Impact of IT Security Attitudes
Risk and Resilience
Linux on the Desktop
