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| Some versions of the Mosquitos game attempt to
send expensive SMS text messages. |
Experts at Sophos have advised customers not to panic, following
media reports of a Trojan horse that affects cell phones, making
them send text messages to premium rate numbers.
The Mosqit
Trojan horse is written specifically to work on the Symbian
operating system running on a Nokia Series 60 compatible device.
The Trojan has been posted on a number of websites and peer-to-peer
networks.
Hidden inside the Trojan horse is the following message:
This version has been cracked by SODDOM BIN LOADER No rights
reserved. Pirate copies are illegal and offenders will have lotz of
phun!!!
"If run on a cell phone this Trojan attempts to send expensive
SMS text messages to premium rate numbers," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant for Sophos. "This hacked version of the
Mosquitos game has an unpleasant sting in its tail. Whether your
computer is on your desktop, or sitting in your jacket pocket, you
should always exercise great caution about what you install."
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| The Mosquitos game runs on the Symbian operating
system. |
The Trojan, which is disguised as a cracked version of a game
called "Mosquitos" can be installed onto modern smartphones, only
after the user has seen several warnings about the possible dangers
of installing unsigned applications.
"Obviously the discovery of a Trojan horse that can send
expensive SMS text messages is going to generate interest in the
media, but it's important to remember that the biggest virus
problem remains on conventional desktop Windows PCs which are
regularly assaulted by worms via the internet." continued
Cluley.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.