AdaptiveMobile talk to USA Today
Beselo targets devices that use the Symbian operating system; it replicates by attaching to contact lists, stored text messages -- anything with an IP address. The virus won't destroy your cellphone memory, but you may incur data charges as it duplicates itself, says
Between late 2007 and March of 2008, there's been a 1,000% increase in Beselo's infection rate, according to AdaptiveMobile, which works directly with cellphone carriers worldwide. And those numbers are continuing to increase, driven in part by rise in multimedia applications and the increasing openness of cellphone networks in general.
Beselo typically masquerades as a text message, image or music file, making it almost impossible to detect. As soon as the file or message is opened, Beselo "installs and executes" on your device, Coney says. The virus also replicates via BlueTooth, he notes.
Coney says the virus typically replaces multimedia icons with one of its own -- a skull and crossbones. "That's one of the more obvious signs" that you've been attacked, Coney says.
One variant of the virus also leaves a text message saying "your phone has been infected by a virus," Coney says. "It's a litle bit of swagger."
By Leslie Cauley
