NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Re: [IP] Expensive malware appears for Microsoft's Windows Mobile -- Be very afraid of those who want to make you afraid
I'm suspicious when I read "iPhone security features deter malware". A "dumb" phone does an even better job. Note that Android lets you decide whether to give an application access to the ability to place a call. Isn't the bigger malware the telecom industry which aids and abets such artificial charges that consume essentially no resources? An industry that creates $18,000 in charges because you didn't pay $50 for protection (the data plan)? This is the very same "attack" using modems years ago. And did we ban the use of modems? Is it worse than Verizon Wireless' bogus "premium services" (http://rmf.vc/?n=VZ900x)? Should we also ban astrology applications because they can lead to foolish behavior? Once again we are being scared into accepting paternalistic dependence (and the associated billable events) in order to avoid synthetic harm. In the same way we accept wireless scarcity by handing over control of our ability to communicate to the very companies whose policies and architectures have created the problem. How many times has the company that purchased ATT's identity offered to protect us from identity theft? Imagine if the same policies were applied to the original Mac and third parties couldn't extend the platform it to support crude multitasking. Instead of seeing smart phones as fount of innovation we are limiting them to only applications that aren't disruptive lest they surprise us and thus assuring they are less likely to delight us. Let's not let fear define the future! Sure we need to be wary. -----Original Message----- From: David Farber [mailto:dave@farber.net] Sent: Sunday, June 06, 2010 19:42 To: ip Subject: [IP] Expensive malware appears for Microsoft's Windows Mobile Begin forwarded message: From: the terminal of geoff goodfellow <geoff@iconia.com> Date: June 5, 2010 2:04:24 PM EDT To: dfarber@cs.cmu.edu Subject: Expensive malware appears for Microsoft's Windows Mobile Reply-To: geoff@iconia.com Malware embedded into legitimate-looking games designed for Windows Mobile has appeared, automatically dialing up foreign telephone services to ring up hundreds of dollars in illicit charges for users behind their backs. ... ... Critics have chafed at Apple's secure software signing model and have praised Google's alternative Android model, which enables users to download software from any source, without any security model in place, at their own risk. The appearance of malware on Windows Mobile is particularly interesting because the motivation of this assault was entirely financial. That being the case, the fact that the malicious developers targeted Windows Mobile, which is almost entirely limited to the US and now trails Symbian (42%), RIM (21%), and Apple's iPhone OS (15%) in market share (9% over the last year), throws decades of Windows-based punditry on its head because "malicious hackers" supposedly only target the largest platform. iPhone security features deter malware Just the fact that Apple has a real security policy in place for iPhone mobile software in its iTunes App Store serves as a strong deterrent for rogue developers from even attempting to distribute malicious iPhone OS software like the tainted games discovered for Windows Mobile. Jim Finkle, writing for Reuters, claimed that "hackers are increasingly targeting smartphone users as sales of the sophisticated mobile devices have soared with the success of Apple Inc's iPhone and Google Inc's Android operating system," but in reality, any attacks aimed at iPhone users are not software based expressly because of Apple's strict security policy, and must be limited to social engineering exploits that prey upon people directly, rather than infecting their devices with malware. Android users (just like Mac and Windows users) have no similar security protection in place, and should be very careful about downloading software, even from legitimate appearing websites. Unlike desktop malware, which is somewhat limited in the scope of damage it can cause, mobile malware has the ability to rapidly run up very expensive mobile bills for weeks before the user is likely to even notice a problem. http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/06/04/expensive_malware_appears_for_ microsofts_windows_mobile.html http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6535TS20100604 ------------------------------------------- Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/ Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com