July 25, 2008, 1:34 PM — AdaptiveMobile today recommended to mobile operators that they step-up security for their subscribers, as they witness a steady rise in attacks. Recent analysis of data from AdaptiveMobile’s mobile operator customers suggests that two virus variants – CommWarrior and Beselo – are causing particular damage. While CommWarrior only affects Nokia Series 60 phones, Beselo attacks all smartphones, spreading via Bluetooth and MMS as a Symbian SIS installation file and is growing at four times the rate of CommWarrior.
One major operator has seen a rise in virus attacks from 0.5 percent of all messages to six percent over the last 12 months. On average, this operator receives 100,000 virus incidences a day, up from 70,000 in just one year.
Gareth Maclachlan, COO of AdaptiveMobile, comments: “It’s a worrying trend that’s not going to slow down yet. Fortunately, most subscribers are not infected as viruses are still immature and of limited virulence; but those who do get infected can lose up to 100 EUR a day from the MMS being sent by the virus. As these are typically corporate users with the latest phones, and who do not scrutinize their bills, operators are concerned that their best customers will churn if a competitor offers a solution.
“Protecting its users should be the first priority for any mobile phone provider. As infection rates continue to rise and higher proportions of customers are left at risk, mobile phone security will become a key differentiator for customer creation and retention – particularly among large organizations keen to ensure their staff is properly protected. The battle is heating up – and mobile operators have to make sure they are competing effectively.â€
About AdaptiveMobile:
AdaptiveMobile (www.adaptivemobile.com) is the leading mobile security provider of unified customer protection for enterprises and individuals. The company offers comprehensive proactive protection from the increasingly prominent threat of mobile viruses, malware, inappropriate content, unsolicited communications and spam at a corporate and consumer level. AdaptiveMobile’s software works across all bearers, all technologies and all media.
AdaptiveMobile was founded in 2003 and boasts some of the world's largest mobile operators as customers and the leading security and telecom equipment vendors as partners. The company is headquartered in Dublin with offices in the North America, Europe, South Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific.
