Mobile viruses prey on 3G handsets, taking advantage of data transfer technology like Bluetooth to spread to other mobiles. The owner of the infected handset might never know that his or her phone is sending malicious programming.
However, since the number of 3G phones is still relatively small, there is little motive for hackers to program malicious software, according to David Perry, an information security expert from Trend Micro.
"Until you get a large enough population of infectable mobile phones and until a design criteria comes around that allows those phones to be exploited in a way that is appropriate to what it represents in the world, until then I don't think you see a major threat."
Perry is visiting Finland this week. He has travelled the world for nearly 30 years, lecturing on the threat of malicious programs such as viruses and worms.
The danger is that when critical mass is reached with 3G phones, organized crime may take a serious interest.
"It's either for commercial profit or criminal profit, in almost all of the malware we see today. So it's possible in the future that the mobile phone represents a unique challenge in that it represents an easy prey for crime, because there's a billable serve attached to it," he says.
In other words, a virus could rack up a victim's phone bills for the benefit of a third party.
So while there is no basis for paranoia, it's advisable to treat 3G phones like portable computers, and equip them with the best anti-virus protection you can find.
