The worlds first virus for the Pocket PC has been created, so report the antivirus firm Kaspersky Labs. The virus, codenamed Duts, is capable of infecting any Pocket PC running the Windows Mobile operating system, which accounts for quite a signifcant number of PDA's in existence today.
Created by Ratter, a virus writer from the same group behind the recent Cabir phone virus, the virus is currently suspected to be only a proof of concept rather than a proper virus. Eugene Kaspersky, Head of Anti-Virus Research at Kaspersky Labs, said the following about the virus:
Duts is a proof-of-concept malicious program; it demonstrates that Windows Mobile is vulnerable to infection. Our tests show that the virus can propagate effectively in such an environment. However, we don't expect a major outbreak - Duts is unable to spread independently, only infects a limited number of files, and signals its presence in the system when attempting to propagate.
Although Duts does not have a destructive payload, and even asks the user for permission to spread, it is a worrying portent of things to come. Luckily anti-virus software for PDA's is available from Kaspersky Labs, and we'd recommend that you obtain it.
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