Wireless phones vulnerable to attack

To protect its customers from the threat of hackers, NTT DoCoMo (NYSE: NTT) is advising users of its i-mode mobile phones about "malicious e-mails" they may receive.
Japan's largest wireless carrier said hackers send e-mails that use special commands to make users' phones automatically dial an emergency number. The e-mails also may force handsets to make calls to large numbers of people, or they may freeze the screen of a mobile phone.

As if any of this comes as a surprise. It was only a matter of time until it was discovered. In fact tragedy from www.Antioffline.com has discovered a way to DoS the Motorola pagers.

To protect its customers from the threat of hackers, NTT DoCoMo (NYSE: NTT) is advising users of its i-mode mobile phones about "malicious e-mails" they may receive.

Japan's largest wireless carrier said hackers send e-mails that use special commands to make users' phones automatically dial an emergency number. The e-mails also may force handsets to make calls to large numbers of people, or they may freeze the screen of a mobile phone.

DoCoMo said its customers have not yet complained to the company about any damage attributable to these e-mails. Nevertheless, DoCoMo is considering its legal options, claiming that the hackers are causing inconveniences to its customers and damaging the popularity of its mobile Web service.

Don't Open It!

DoCoMo's main advice to i-mode users is not to open e-mails from unknown senders -- a tenet that holds fast for PC users as well. E-mail attachments can wreak havoc on any device.

Also, DoCoMo said that if a user's i-mode phone starts to dial a third party automatically, the user can push the "Stop" button to prevent the call, while if the mobile phone starts to send e-mails to third parties automatically, the user can push the "Clear" button.

Consumers whose i-mode screen freezes can fix the problem by removing the battery, reinserting it and then restarting the handset, according to DoCoMo.

The company added that new i-mode handsets entering the market next month will not be affected by the commands embedded in the malicious e-mails.

What About Junk?

Malicious e-mails are not DoCoMo's only concern. Last month, the company said an increasing number of its customers have been receiving junk e-mail from mass e-mail advertisers -- in particular, for dating services.

To counter this barrage, DoCoMo urged users to take advantage of some phone options, such as changing the phone's e-mail address or blocking messages from certain addresses.

Beyond e-mail issues, though, DoCoMo just tied up the loose ends on its latest glitch. On Wednesday, the company began replacing faulty handsets that gave third-party companies access to data stored on the handset.

According to DoCoMo, the glitch was found in the image-processing software of its "DoCoMo by Sony SO503i" mobile phone.

DoCoMo said it will notify its i-mode users of the latest e-mail threat by sending out information with monthly bills.

Grabberd from www.wirelessnewsfactor.com