"Virus" and Nokia phones.
I double checked with the kids, a very old "feature" of
one specific old kiddy model. I couldn't, just like that
even find anyone with one to retest and verify it.
However, the kids told me some stories on how they had
"done it" to some buddies,parents,etc. at that time, what
happened, at what point,etc.
From that it was certainly clear that calling this
(MSFT-like) special feature a "virus" proves lack
of understanding what a virus is.
Basically a minor bug triggered by a very special, unlikely
text message (max length), on one particular early model,
when scrolling down to the last character. (display
formatting bug at last character??)
One fun thing was that it took such a long time to key in the
message, that it wasn't even that fun, except the first time.
Additionally this is at least 2-3 year old "news"...
(we tested the 7110 WAP model once again, just to be
sure, although they already knew it wasn't necessary,
didn't want to waste time)
Ilmarinen.
from yahoo:
From Cahners in-stat
News@2direct
Kristy Bassuener
"Tampered Text, Nokia and the Media Machine"
‘Nokia phones are vulnerable to viruses.’ ‘Tampered text messages lock up the keypads of handsets.’
These reports, which emerged this morning in the European press, are more of a publicity generator than a
real problem, a Nokia spokesman says.
Web2Wap.no, a Norwegian wireless Internet company, said it discovered a glitch in some older Nokia
handsets that locked up when a certain text message was sent. Taking out the battery and replacing it could
get the phone working after a lock-up episode. The company and other anti-virus software developers say
the specific code in the message that triggers the problem – if learned by hackers – could spread the
problem.
Sporadic discoveries of viruses and other glitches stalking wireless phones have cropped up in the past
several months as wireless Internet services become more commonplace in Europe, Asia and the
Americas. Earlier this year a virus dubbed “Timofonica” struck some wireless phones in Spain, complete
with a
not-too-complimentary message about the business practices of carrier Telefonica.
But Finland-based Nokia spokesman Pekka Isosomppi, says this problem is likely not as bad as
Web2Wap claims. “Every [GSM] phone has a feature built in the hardware that if there’s a problem the
phone cannot solve, it automatically resets itself after 30 seconds,” Isosomppi says. “If there is a lockup,
in can only last less than a minute.”
Isosomppi added that while Web2Wap has spoken with several members of the European press, “we’ve
contacted them and haven’t gotten clarification yet” on the problem and what model phone it affects.
Wap2Web.no could not be reached by news@2direct.
“If what they had in mind [was] to be constructive I think they could have called us first,” Isosomppi says. |
