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This is the first “in the wild” Windows Mobile malware I can remember off the top of my head. It was discovered in China and written up over at McAfee. Basically if you downloaded a games pack (including Google Maps in that pack) from a certain Chinese website it installed a piece of software that did the following:
- Silently makes your smartphone accept unsigned applications
- Installs a hidden, difficult to remove program that sends your personal information back to home base
- Installs a copy of the malware on your memory card for further spreading.
The site has since been shut down (despite protests from the developer that he didn't mean to do anything evil). It's a bummer, though, I am not keen on installing anti-virus on my smartphone.
The InfoJack Trojan spreads by either tricking mobile users into installing seemingly legitimate application installation files or if punters inadvertently use an infected memory card on vulnerable devices. The malware has been spotted circulating in China. - Register
Anybody running anti-virus / anti-spyware on their smartphones? How's your performance?
I tried all the various anti-virus programs on my Dell PDA with 624mHz processor before. None of them stayed since they all made such a big hit on performance. No experience on WM phones though. But I'd imagine the performance hit would be even more noticeable.
InfoJack doesn't concern me that much since I only install programs from highly trusted sources but I do believe it changes the playing field. I hope this is an anomaly.