PalmOne, Microsoft, Symbian, Blackberry. Each of these companies provides operating systems which run on smart phones (mobile phones which have computers inside). With the fantastic growth occurring in the smart phone sector of the wireless industry, the target has gotten large enough to attract the attention of the virus authors. Earlier this year, it was reported that Windows CE had been attacked by a virus. Very recently, Symbian (used primarily on Nokia devices) was intruded upon by a piece of code which rendered the device unusable other than making or receiving calls. More than anything, it serves as a reminder that as our dependence on these devices grows, there needs be attention given to the security of the device operating system and the data which resides there. In the past, mobile phone users have been known to throw incredible fits upon the loss of the numbers stored in their phones. Thankfully, the synchronization of most of the new devices is much more convenient and complete than earlier cell phones. |
