MOSCOW, September 21 (RIA Novosti) - Viruses that attack mobile phones have appeared in Russia, an analyst with the Kaspersky Lab, an IT security software developer, said Thursday.
"This year, not only have users of smartphones become exposed to the danger, but also those using ordinary phones with the Java platform," Alexander Gostev said.
He said the viruses infect telephones, which then begin sending text messages to paid services until subscriber accounts are emptied. Gostev said it is practically impossible to develop an antivirus program.
Gostev said such programs were first discovered in Russia, adding that there are some 20,000 different MMS viruses attacking smartphones.
The expert advised users to switch off their Bluetooth wireless data transfer function in the metro and on public transport, saying that viruses often got into phones in this way.
"In the first half of 2006, we registered 10 cases of mobile viruses sent via Bluetooth to our employees' phones in the metro," he said. He recommended that Bluetooth traps be mounted in the metro to prevent such attacks. He also advised users not to execute unknown program files on their phones.
Speaking about IT security, Gostev said more than 30 different types of computer viruses that blocked user databases and demanded a ransom to unblock them were registered in the Russian segment of the Internet in the first half of 2006.
"Data is encrypted, and the program demands that a certain sum of money be transferred to the indicated account to unblock the data," he said.
He warned against dealing with virus creators, saying users should rely on experienced programmers to solve their problems.
Another analyst with the Kaspersky Lab said spam, or unauthorized e-mailing, constitutes 60% to 80% of the total e-mail traffic on the Internet's Russian domain.
"The basic capacities of Russian e-mail servers are used to receive and send 'garbage'," Anna Vlasova said.
She said some spammers try to get users to reveal personal data - bank account numbers and access codes. She added that spammers also use news events to perpetrate fraud, like the spammer who claimed to be a banker with access to the bank accounts of September 11 victims.
