Protect your mobile

SMS (Short Messaging Service) and MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) are very useful tools for companies who wish to send information on their products or services quickly. Unfortunately some companies send mass advertisements to people without asking for their permission to market to them.

Spamming is the unsolicited sending of mass advertising via telecommunications. Sometimes senders get telephone numbers from directories, if the numbers are published in them. Since mobile owners who have not published their number also receive such SMS messages, it must be assumed that these messages are sent systematically via the internet to entire blocks of numbers.

There are some basic rules you can apply in order to reduce as much as possible the risk of being bothered by unsolicited SMS:

• guard your mobile number and do not give it out over the internet, in forums or other lists or competitions. Many forms often contain in the small print a statement such as 'I am interested in receiving information/advertisements for other products...', which effectively authorises the sending of commercial SMS messages
• if the content of the message is not of interest to you, delete it
• don’t reply to the spam message or call the number in the message as you may be charged a premium rate
• contact the company directly if you no longer want to receive messages
• if unsubscribe details are not contained in the message, a search on the web or with directory enquiries will often give the contact information you require and you should contact the sender directly to be removed from their marketing list, the same as you would with unwanted mail
• if you are receiving text messages from a short code number for a service that you perhaps subscribed to and no longer wish to receive, try checking their instructions. Typically text the word 'STOP' to the service to deregister

• text messages which relate to a service you have subscribed to
• missed call alerts. This is a service that lets you know if you’ve missed a call
• service updates and your network’s own marketing messages

The first mobile phone virus was a worm created in 2003 and targeted the Symbian operating system (the most commonly found operating system). It was sent via Bluetooth and announced its arrival with an alert. This virus was harmless but it alerted people to the fact that mobile phones are a target for viruses.

Since then, there have been around 200 viruses written for mobiles, with some having malicious intent, leading to expensive phone bills as they automatically send off SMS or MMS messages when the phone becomes infected.

Many mobile viruses are spread by Bluetooth, which can easily be prevented, but with today’s smart phones, 3G and ready internet access, viruses are also being spread when mobiles connect to the web.

The viruses that are spread via Bluetooth are easy to prevent from infecting your phone – reject any files you’re asked to receive when you don’t know who it is that’s sending them. It really is that simple.

If you access the internet regularly from your mobile, anti-virus software does exist that will protect your phone.

However, the general view is not to panic. Viruses on mobiles at present pose little risk and the writers of computer viruses are far more focused on creating destructive viruses for Windows desktops, where they will cause far more harm than they would on a mobile phone.