Mobile Virus `Cabir' Spares Brunei Phone Users
By Maya Salleh

Bandar Seri Begawan - Mobile phone users in the Sultanate have been spared from a virus that was recently discovered.

The virus or worm known as "Cabir", the first ever computer virus known to infect mobile phones, was discovered by the French arm of Kaspersky Labs, a Russian security software developer.

Kaspersky Labs stated that Cabir is believed to have been developed by some global group that specialises in creating viruses to demonstrate that "no technology is reliable and safe from their attacks", further noting that the developers of Cabir have not designed the virus or worm to propagate on a massive scale, but to demonstrate that mobile phones and PDAs can be infected by the malicious code.

A spokesperson for DSTCom disclosed that its technicians have been closely tracking the spread of the Cabir virus to mobile phone users in the nation and fortunately none has been detected. Moreover, the spokesperson assured mobile phone users in the nation that "there is no cause for alarm".

The spokesperson advised mobile users to safeguard their phones from the virus by activating a password that is available in all handsets.

The malicious code spreads to devices that run under Symbian OS, used in many models of phones, including some manufactured by Nokia, Siemens and Sony Ericsson.

Cabir spreads in a file called "Caribe.sis" which installs itself automatically on the system when the user accepts the transmission, displaying a message on the screen bearing the text, "Caribe". In turn, it starts a continuous search for other devices to send itself via Bluetooth technology.

However, with the 30-feet Bluetooth's transmission range, the virus is only able to jump from mobile phone to mobile phone within that range and the mobile phone must have the correct OS installed and the appropriate settings, which has to be initially set for a known number.

It is also dependent on the mobile phone user having Bluetooth turned on within that range where any unsuspecting user in the vicinity would have to accept the virus, which would be preceded by a warning that the source of the file is unknown.

The virus is smart enough to scan for mobile phones that are also using the Bluetooth technology and sends a copy to the first handset that it finds.

There are also likely chances for the Caribe.sis file to copy itself to other devices using Bluetooth such as some printers.

Anti-virus software developer F-Secure said that the discovery of Cabir is proof that technologies are now available to create viruses for mobile phones and that they are now known to the writers of computer viruses.

Another report also stated that anti-virus software developers have yet to detect any harmful effects of the virus on mobile phones.

Anti-virus experts have been warning for months that mobile phone viruses are set to multiply, given the increasingly diverse uses of mobile phones. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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