Virus alert rings out over mobiles
Mobile operators have six to twelve months to prepare for a major phone computer virus because of the continued proliferation of Java-powered devices.
Trevor Brignall, director of business development of Capgemini's telecom, media and entertainment practice, believes that as the number of Java phones expands they will become a target for hackers.
"Increasingly, most of the phones coming out will carry Java and, once it gets to over 150 million, that's an attractive target for hackers," he predicted.
"Unlike computer viruses you can monitor networks to stop them, but with a Bluetooth connection there's no observable network. They also open the door to new styles of attack, like making the phones dial a premium-rate number, for example."
But there are signs that the industry is already moving on the issue. In January telecoms and mobile software companies formed the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG). Its job is to examine the total security of mobile infrastructure.
"Basically we need a three-tier approach," said Johan Othelius, vice president at mobile application software house OpenWave, one of the founding members of MAAWG.
