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Windows Mobile Trojan Spotted in the Wild

 

Ok ok it happened!!  An actual piece of malware for the Windows Mobile platform.

You need of curse the accept and install a “legal†software package in order to bypassthe security model of Windows Mobile.

I’m not sure we need anti-virus / anti-spyware yet on our devices but it IS disturbing that real signed and verified software installs malware. It sorts of kills the security model. Smartphones (Windows Mobile Standard devices) runs a two-tier model (normal and privileged) and any “games pack†should only run as “normal†and hence NOT be able to alter the security of the device. Go smartphones!

This is the offending suite of games.

This is the first “in the wild†Windows Mobile malware I can remember off the top of my head. It was discovered in China and written up over at McAfee. Basically if you downloaded a games pack (including Google Maps in that pack) from a certain Chinese website it installed a piece of software that did the following:

ï‚·  Silently makes your smartphone accept unsigned applications

ï‚·  Installs a hidden, difficult to remove program that sends your personal information back to home base

ï‚·  Installs a copy of the malware on your memory card for further spreading.

The site has since been shut down (despite protests from the developer that he didn't mean to do anything evil). It's a bummer, though, I am not keen on installing anti-virus on my smartphone.

The InfoJack Trojan spreads by either tricking mobile users into installing seemingly legitimate application installation files or if punters inadvertently use an infected memory card on vulnerable devices. The malware has been spotted circulating in China. - Register

Anybody running anti-virus / anti-spyware on their smartphones? How's your performance?

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Posted: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 10:23 PM by PMoh

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