Da Vinci virus hits mobile phones
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A computer bug bearing the name of the controversial film The Da Vinci Code has affected dozens of mobile phones and laptops, Daijiworld.com reports.
The virus, which spreads via wireless Bluetooth technology, causes a message to pop up on Bluetooth devices: 'Receive message via Bluetooth from Da Vinci Code? '.
Once a curious mobile phone user accepts the message, the virus enters the system and destroys the phone's data while a picture depicting an eye and a cross appears on the desktop and phone's gallery.
"Once a phone is affected, formatting is the only option. You cannot retrieve your data," a software expert said.
It’s been confirmed — The Da Vinci Code is bad for you. The virus, that is. A computer bug bearing the controversial film’s name has affected dozens of mobile phones and laptops in the city.
This image appears on the desktop and photo gallery of infected phones
A picture depicting an eye and a cross appears on the desktop and phoneÂ’s gallery.
System crash
Mridul Sharma (32), an operations manager at an event management firm, received the virus during a corporate presentation a few days ago. “The Da Vinci Code name actually excited me. I assumed the file was either an MMS clipping or a still and accepted it.
My entire system collapsed and data was deleted. I had just bought my Nokia N91 handset worth Rs 31,000 and had to pay Rs 1,500 to format my mobile hard disk and reload the software,” said Sharma.
Common virus
“I received the virus on my laptop and phone. Apparently my Bluetooth device was active. The technician who repaired my phone told me this was a common virus, which had simply been renamed The Da Vinci Code to attract the users,” said 35-year-old Sanjay Menon.
Abhishek Datta, a software expert, said, “Once a phone is affected, formatting is the only option. You cannot retrieve your data.”
Types of viruses
Skulls: A Trojan horse called Skulls, once downloaded, replaces all phone desktop icons with images of a skull
Comwar: A worm that spreads vis MMSes and Bluetooth. It infects devices running under Symbian pperating system
Duts: The first known virus for the Pocket PC platform. It attempts to infect all EXE files in the current directory
Tips on staying safe from the deadly virus
- Be careful when accepting files via Bluetooth
- Delete messages from unknown senders
- Reinstall infected programmes
- Download ringtones and games from official websites only -
chey........i tot accept liao u see a pic of naked mona lisa
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that will be a sight to see... half man half womanOriginally posted by FireIce:chey........i tot accept liao u see a pic of naked mona lisa
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LMAO..."the sky is falling, the sky is falling"...some ppl will believe anything.
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Thats good news for mobile antivirus companies
When you accept the file it infects straight away or do you have to install it? I know caribe requires the (stupid) owner to install the virus before the phone is infected. -
F-Secure: News from the Lab
Friday, May 26, 2006
We are posting information on this topic due to media attention and requests from our customers.
There is a rumor that a new "Da Vinci virus" has been hitting mobile phones. We don't have a single infection report and we have no sample of such malware. However, we will keep you updated as soon as we have more information.
All the discussion on the net on this topic seems to be linking back to one news article posted in an Indian magazine two days ago. -
oh chey...Originally posted by BearBear®:F-Secure: News from the Lab
Friday, May 26, 2006
We are posting information on this topic due to media attention and requests from our customers.
There is a rumor that a new "Da Vinci virus" has been hitting mobile phones. We don't have a single infection report and we have no sample of such malware. However, we will keep you updated as soon as we have more information.
All the discussion on the net on this topic seems to be linking back to one news article posted in an Indian magazine two days ago. -
OH NO...Originally posted by skid:LMAO..."the sky is falling, the sky is falling"...some ppl will believe anything. -
You're still around?Originally posted by BearBear®:F-Secure: News from the Lab
Friday, May 26, 2006
We are posting information on this topic due to media attention and requests from our customers.
There is a rumor that a new "Da Vinci virus" has been hitting mobile phones. We don't have a single infection report and we have no sample of such malware. However, we will keep you updated as soon as we have more information.
All the discussion on the net on this topic seems to be linking back to one news article posted in an Indian magazine two days ago. You're in Singapore now...? No longer see you in AA...??