Mobile viruses are becoming more frequent; so are many other security threats to mobile devices and the data they hold. Lately, however, researchers have learned that hackers are now creating mobile spyware, which control SMS messages and allows them to be read by others.
The recent discovery is not the first time mobile spyware has been noticed, but Rayhawk said that it is time for people to pay attention.
"It's definitely not the end of the world," he said, noting that whoever produced the most recent mobile spyware program also released the incomplete source code that would allow hackers to spy on others. If that source code spreads further, he said, it could be cause for alarm.
"If that source code gets out, a semi-able hacker could adjust it," Rayhawk said.
The spyware works like this: A hacker sends an SMS message to the target. The target opens the message, installing the spyware onto the device. That spyware, unknown to the victim, takes the SMS messages and forwards them on to the hacker.
Rayhawk said mobile operators should be the most worried because protecting devices would cost them money, and a massive spyware outbreak could also have a financial impact. But he said it's premature for users to worry.
"The likelihood of an individual user getting targeted is pretty low," he said.
There are steps that can be taken to avoid falling victim to mobile spyware, however. Rayhawk said embedded device security, such as antivirus, should be installed on devices when they come from the manufacturers.
In March, malware was found that copied SMS messages and sent them to a server where they could be recovered by hackers. Then, in September, spyware was found that could retrieve SMS messages, contact numbers and call logs. There is also mobile malware that can call a device, make the device answer silently without the user's knowledge, and turn the device into a remote bug.
Rayhawk suggests that smartphone and mobile phone users start handling their devices more and more like PCs. He said that -- as a culture -- mobile users need to recognize that their devices are just as susceptible as their larger, fixed counterparts to spyware, worms, viruses and other malware.
"People trust phones too much," Rayhawk said. "Users need to apply the same level of paranoia to their phones as they do to PCs."
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