POcket PC Virus - What kind

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc (More info?)

Gareth Edmondson wrote:
> As a new owner of an Axim X50v, I wondered what kind of virus can my
PDA
> get?
>
> I would assume that with it being Microsoft Windows, that it would be

> open to virus. Can you get anti-virus for 2003?
The main danger of you Axim is the ability to accept a virus and carry
it
to your desktop. The virus may not run on the PPC, it can be carried
into the desktop where it can run.

The other danger is there will be viruses for the PPC. A new virus is
circulating that sends it self to a number of people in your address
book
and also drains the battery.

It is inevitable since the PPC is Microsoft, someone will target the
platform for viruses. Sir Bill magnetically attracts these people.

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc (More info?)

KDE wrote:
> there are companies now selling virus protection for the pocketPC.
however,
> before you buy you might ask yourself, what danger is there really ?
This brings up the question where do viruses come from? Sometimes I
wonder
if the ultimate source of viruses sometime are the anti virus
companies?





> what could a virus do that you couldn't hard reset your
> device back to factory state and re-install your apps? a hard re-set
is not
> as bad as many people make it out to be (and sometimes a good idea).
Come back and tell me that the next time you have to do a hard reset
and spend alot of hours reinstalling all your software and resetting
the device up.



> unless
> they come up with a virus that could somehow mess up the original ROM
image,
> there is not much a virus could do that you couldn't fix in about 15
minutes
> with minimal effort. - of course, that's just my opinion.
Well now that ppcs are now coming with built in phones why couldn't a
virus
do something like call 911 and get you arrested for making nusisance
calls
to 911? Or infecting other users? Or maybe getting you kiled becasue
you
can't use your phone in an emergecny becuase the virus drainted the
battery?
Or maybe you get your cell phone bill and found a virus called China a
few thousand times?

Since some ppcs have the abilty to upgrade the OS through burning it
into
the ROM, could a virus take advantage of this and burn itself into the
ROM?

Never underestimate the ability of that person down the street who
hates Bill Gates and Microsoft to create havac against any product
that uses Microsoft software.

Just because the abilities are limited now doesn't mean that will
always be
the case.

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc (More info?)

On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 23:16:03 +0000, Yorkshire Pudding <> wrote:

>On 10 Mar 2005 15:01:51 -0800, "DW" <DrWoodardOnDS@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>KDE wrote:
>>> there are companies now selling virus protection for the pocketPC.
>>however,
>>> before you buy you might ask yourself, what danger is there really ?
>>This brings up the question where do viruses come from? Sometimes I
>>wonder
>>if the ultimate source of viruses sometime are the anti virus
>>companies?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> what could a virus do that you couldn't hard reset your
>>> device back to factory state and re-install your apps? a hard re-set
>>is not
>>> as bad as many people make it out to be (and sometimes a good idea).
>>Come back and tell me that the next time you have to do a hard reset
>>and spend alot of hours reinstalling all your software and resetting
>>the device up.
>>
>>
>>
>>> unless
>>> they come up with a virus that could somehow mess up the original ROM
>>image,
>>> there is not much a virus could do that you couldn't fix in about 15
>>minutes
>>> with minimal effort. - of course, that's just my opinion.
>>Well now that ppcs are now coming with built in phones why couldn't a
>>virus
>>do something like call 911 and get you arrested for making nusisance
>>calls
>>to 911? Or infecting other users? Or maybe getting you kiled becasue
>>you
>>can't use your phone in an emergecny becuase the virus drainted the
>>battery?
>>Or maybe you get your cell phone bill and found a virus called China a
>>few thousand times?
>>
>>Since some ppcs have the abilty to upgrade the OS through burning it
>>into
>>the ROM, could a virus take advantage of this and burn itself into the
>>ROM?
>>
>>Never underestimate the ability of that person down the street who
>>hates Bill Gates and Microsoft to create havac against any product
>>that uses Microsoft software.
>>
>>Just because the abilities are limited now doesn't mean that will
>>always be
>>the case.
>
>Could we have that in English please?
>
>Yorkshire Pudding
>
>ICQ: 321716099

Seriously though, I use McAfee on my PC and it not only covers my PPC
but also my Psion 3MX. I may be wrong, but I feel reasonably secure
with it.

Yorkshire Pudding

ICQ: 321716099

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc (More info?)

Yorkshire Pudding wrote:
>Just because the abilities are limited now doesn't mean that will
>always be
>the case.

Could we have that in English please?

Bill Gates and Microsoft seem to magneticall attract virus
writers, hackers, etc.

It's only a matter of time before someone figures out how to
get a virus to infect the ppc platform.

Once that happens there is all sorts of room for the virus
writter to do damage. Be it getting the built in phone to
make a thousand calls to China and have it appear on your
cell phone bill, have a virus burn itself into ROM (just like
when you update the OS), or lots of other stuff it is inevitable
that this will come.

After following Microsoft/Windows/DOS for all these years
It is a safe prediction that someday Virus writters/hackers/
etc. will find a way to completely trash the ppc platform with
viruses etc. We've already seen it with Windows, that is
one of the reasons Internet Exploerer is loosing out to Firefox.
Microsoft doesn't get it for security in Windows and the same thing
will happen to the ppc if Microsoft doeasn't get a clue TODAY.

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc (More info?)

At this point I wouldn't be much concerned, although in the future this may
come.

Right now the biggest danger is to bring the virus from the PPC to the PC,
and then if the PC is well protected you are covered.

Regarding the PPC: although there are some concept viruses written for PPC,
there are no real ones around yet. And even if they come right now, the
limitations of PPC on running scripts would create a situation that you
would need to manually execute the virus file in order to get infected.
Well, at this point in history, those that still manually execute script
files sent to them by unknown sources without a request, sorry to say,
really deserve it.

--
********************************************************
Helio Diamant - MS-MVP/Mobile Devices
Editor-in-Chief
Pocket PC Freak - The Hebrew Pocket PC site
http://www.pocketpcfreak.com
********************************************************
"Gareth Edmondson" <gareth@spickandspam.indigo-cube.co.uk> wrote in message
news:422f7716$0$573$ed2619ec@ptn-nntp-reader03.plus.net...
> Hi Guys,
>
> As a new owner of an Axim X50v, I wondered what kind of virus can my PDA
> get?
>
> I would assume that with it being Microsoft Windows, that it would be open
> to virus. Can you get anti-virus for 2003?
>
> Cheers
>
> Gareth Edmondson