Mobile game 'virus' was developer gaffe - security firm

Security experts have quashed reports that a pirated mobile videogame was host to the world's first malicious mobile phone virus, after it emerged that the supposed 'Trojan horse' component was originally inserted as a copy protection measure by the game's developer. via Eurogamer.net.

"According to anti-virus researcher F-Secure, the Trojan element was originally inserted by the developer in an effort to alert them to unlicensed copies. The idea was that the program would send a message alerting the developer to the use of unlicensed software. The service has since been shut down due to complaints, and text messages to the number are no longer charged at premium rates.

"It did not work the way it was supposed to; they had complaints and removed it from the game," F-Secure's Mikko Hypponen told the BBC News website. In its advisory on the subject, F-Secure said: "This functionality was intended to be a copy-protecting technique - it didn't work as planned and the whole functionality backfired."

cf related article: Mosquito Trojan infects Symbian

emily | 1:31 PM | Spam, Viruses and Hoaxes |
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