Browse: Home / / Security And S60 3rd Edition

Security And S60 3rd Edition

By The Guru on October 19, 2008

Steve Litchfield has taken the opportunity to lambast the BBC for a recent piece quoting people from Adaptive Mobile and F-Secure, two companies that conveniently offer commercial anti-virus software for S60-powered smartphones. The article goes on to warn readers of the threats of mobile viruses, particularly to the Symbian platform.

As Steve correctly points out, there are several steps that a consumer would have to manually proceed through in order to actually get a mobile virus on their smartphone:

Viruses running amok? Really? Working their way through the contact book? Really?

  • On every single S60 3rd Edition phone (which is the majority, these days, and growing fast in terms of percentage points worldwide), Symbian OS 9 contains ‘platform security’, meaning that there’s simply no way a piece of malware could call out in the way described without warning the user every single time it wants to do anything.
  • And that’s assuming that the user was foolish enough to manually accept three or more explicit warnings during the installation of the said piece of malware.
  • And that’s assuming that the user was foolish enough to accept the incoming Bluetooth or MMS item in the first place.

However, while we bloggers can assure you that the platform, at least in 3rd Edition, is secure, I’m curious as to Nokia’s part in educating consumers of the reality of the situation. My case in point is the inclusion of F-Secure’s mobile security application in the Nokia Download! client of most of our phones, such as my Nokia E71. Why, if the platform is secure, is this misleading application even allowed in here?

What do you think? Should Nokia be encouraging this nonsense by including the application in their Download! client, or should they protect the reputation of the platform? Have you actually gotten a virus on your S60 3rd Edition smartphone? Would you even admit it if you did?

Related Posts

Posted in | Tagged , , , ,

The Guru

The Guru, aka Ricky Cadden, started Symbian-Guru.com in November 2006, out of his excitement for the S60 3rd Edition version of Symella. The Guru has used Symbian devices since the Nokia 6620, and is known for his perspective as a power user. You can follow The Guru on Twitter at @Rcadden

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to subscribe to Symbian-Guru.com's RSS feed to stay up to date on future articles. You can also follow us on Twitter: @SymbianGuru


  • Pedro

    Hello, I can send you a virus “redbrowser.jar” which attacks every phone that runs java app and games, so 90% of them.
    But there are a few more virus that attack symbian 3rd edition, just wait and see.
    So send me your email and I will send the virus.

  • Pedro

    Hello, I can send you a virus “redbrowser.jar” which attacks every phone that runs java app and games, so 90% of them.
    But there are a few more virus that attack symbian 3rd edition, just wait and see.
    So send me your email and I will send the virus.

  • Pedro

    Hello, I can send you a virus “redbrowser.jar” which attacks every phone that runs java app and games, so 90% of them.
    But there are a few more virus that attack symbian 3rd edition, just wait and see.
    So send me your email and I will send the virus.

  • http://www.symbian-guru.com TheGuru

    Pedro, you’ve illustrated my point exactly. I haven’t naturally come into contact with a virus – indeed, you felt the need to offer to send it to me, which means I would have to give you my email address, manually install the application, and approve the various questions that pop up when you install an application. It’s not something that *most* consumers would naturally encounter.

  • Pedro

    No what I said is that EXIST virus not only for symbian 3rd edition phones.
    To spread it is a completly diferent thing!
    But if someone want can change de name of the virus to some kind of game and even you could cacht the virus.
    I have no need to send it to you this is a crazy idea from you!
    But don´t tell people that there is no virus for mobile because is that exactly the same thing if you don´t use a PC antivirus, would be some crazy one to do this.
    To finish, if you keep saying that there are no way to infect symbiam 3rd edition platform this will make people to get through and make it as a point just for fun so as much you keep saying there is no virus someone out there is making one just to say the contrary.

  • Pedro

    No what I said is that EXIST virus not only for symbian 3rd edition phones.
    To spread it is a completly diferent thing!
    But if someone want can change de name of the virus to some kind of game and even you could cacht the virus.
    I have no need to send it to you this is a crazy idea from you!
    But don´t tell people that there is no virus for mobile because is that exactly the same thing if you don´t use a PC antivirus, would be some crazy one to do this.
    To finish, if you keep saying that there are no way to infect symbiam 3rd edition platform this will make people to get through and make it as a point just for fun so as much you keep saying there is no virus someone out there is making one just to say the contrary.

  • Pedro

    No what I said is that EXIST virus not only for symbian 3rd edition phones.
    To spread it is a completly diferent thing!
    But if someone want can change de name of the virus to some kind of game and even you could cacht the virus.
    I have no need to send it to you this is a crazy idea from you!
    But don´t tell people that there is no virus for mobile because is that exactly the same thing if you don´t use a PC antivirus, would be some crazy one to do this.
    To finish, if you keep saying that there are no way to infect symbiam 3rd edition platform this will make people to get through and make it as a point just for fun so as much you keep saying there is no virus someone out there is making one just to say the contrary.

  • Pedro

    But if you think about all hacked phones… Think about spreading many, many times all the virus that they will get easily!

  • Pedro

    But if you think about all hacked phones… Think about spreading many, many times all the virus that they will get easily!

  • Pedro

    But if you think about all hacked phones… Think about spreading many, many times all the virus that they will get easily!

  • http://www.symbian-guru.com/ TheGuru

    I’ve never said there aren’t any S60v3 viruses, nor have I ever said that there is no way to infect S60v3. I simply said it’s highly unlikely that the vast majority of users will ever come into contact with a virus, or have a need for antivirus.

  • http://www.symbian-guru.com/ TheGuru

    I’ve never said there aren’t any S60v3 viruses, nor have I ever said that there is no way to infect S60v3. I simply said it’s highly unlikely that the vast majority of users will ever come into contact with a virus, or have a need for antivirus.

  • http://www.symbian-guru.com TheGuru

    I’ve never said there aren’t any S60v3 viruses, nor have I ever said that there is no way to infect S60v3. I simply said it’s highly unlikely that the vast majority of users will ever come into contact with a virus, or have a need for antivirus.

  • Pedro

    To finish, if someone use voip, surf the net, uses bluetooth on (sincro with car device)and you go to the bar and don´t turn it of (I know a lot of people that do this!)if you change pics, sms, mms, mails, a lot…
    And if you could get an antivirus with a usefull and practical firewall carcked or free it will more wise to use than thinking that we never get a virus in the enviroment above describe.
    But it´s to you to make a decision but think, buying an antivirus is good to who make it, don´t buying an antivirus could be good for the people that make cell phones!

  • Pedro

    To finish, if someone use voip, surf the net, uses bluetooth on (sincro with car device)and you go to the bar and don´t turn it of (I know a lot of people that do this!)if you change pics, sms, mms, mails, a lot…
    And if you could get an antivirus with a usefull and practical firewall carcked or free it will more wise to use than thinking that we never get a virus in the enviroment above describe.
    But it´s to you to make a decision but think, buying an antivirus is good to who make it, don´t buying an antivirus could be good for the people that make cell phones!

  • Pedro

    To finish, if someone use voip, surf the net, uses bluetooth on (sincro with car device)and you go to the bar and don´t turn it of (I know a lot of people that do this!)if you change pics, sms, mms, mails, a lot…
    And if you could get an antivirus with a usefull and practical firewall carcked or free it will more wise to use than thinking that we never get a virus in the enviroment above describe.
    But it´s to you to make a decision but think, buying an antivirus is good to who make it, don´t buying an antivirus could be good for the people that make cell phones!

  • http://www.symbian-guru.com/ TheGuru

    Pedro, you've illustrated my point exactly. I haven't naturally come into contact with a virus – indeed, you felt the need to offer to send it to me, which means I would have to give you my email address, manually install the application, and approve the various questions that pop up when you install an application. It's not something that *most* consumers would naturally encounter.

  • http://www.symbian-guru.com/ TheGuru

    Pedro, you've illustrated my point exactly. I haven't naturally come into contact with a virus – indeed, you felt the need to offer to send it to me, which means I would have to give you my email address, manually install the application, and approve the various questions that pop up when you install an application. It's not something that *most* consumers would naturally encounter.

  • Pedro

    I´m proving 50/50 that YOU need an antivirus specialy with firewall in your smattphone.
    And day by day is groing the criminal action to try to take way some money from those that have money to afford a smartphone…
    This is a point of view.
    A wrong point of view is for example lieve your house door open because you didn´t find a criminal BUT YOU HEARD THAT THEY EXIST AND IT´S A MATTER OF TIME TO GET YOUR HOME!

  • Pedro

    I´m proving 50/50 that YOU need an antivirus specialy with firewall in your smattphone.
    And day by day is groing the criminal action to try to take way some money from those that have money to afford a smartphone…
    This is a point of view.
    A wrong point of view is for example lieve your house door open because you didn´t find a criminal BUT YOU HEARD THAT THEY EXIST AND IT´S A MATTER OF TIME TO GET YOUR HOME!

« »
Maemo-Guru.com Shop For Maemo Gear

Archives