Reports are emerging of a virus that can pass from a PC to a mobile device. Microsoft and the Mobile Antivirus Researchers Association (MARA) are investigating. Seemingly, the code was anonymously received by MARA, who have yet to comment further or to pass the code on to other relevant parties.
"We would still love to see a sample of this and determine if this is a potential threat to our customers," Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos, said. "It's a little bit disappointing that they are not sharing the sample."
The first of its kind it seems, the virus is programmed to infect a Microsoft Windows desktop computer and then pass to a mobile device running the Windows CE or Mobile software. It maliciously deletes files.
So far, the code remains proof-of-concept, a tag given to viruses that are created to illustrate how a vulnerability can be exploited but which are not generally released on the Internet.
But once the code is publicly released, malicious hackers may alter it. The aim is for the virus to spread rapidly before antivirus software is updated to detect and remove the malware.