By Eugene Kim
SEOUL, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The first case of smartphone malware was detected in South Korea last week, alarming the users of its vulnerability to potential security breaches.
The Korea Communications Committee (KCC) said roughly 1,000 cases of malicious codes targeting smartphones have been reported worldwide since 2004, and with a greater number of users expected to switch to smartphones in South Korea, the country is beefing up measures to prevent further damage.
FIRST CASE OF SMARTPHONE MALWARE FOUND IN SOUTH KOREA
Last week, the first case of a malicious application for smartphones was found in South Korea, the KCC and the anti-virus program maker AhnLab Inc. said in a statement.
The malware, called "TredDial," was first discovered on April 13 with 155 confirmed infections so far, as it reportedly made unintended international calls every 50 seconds to six overseas locations on smartphones running on Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system in the country, it said.
However, the dialed numbers at the time were not in operation and thus the malwares failed to make any calls, resulting in no direct financial losses, the KCC said.
The commission said the malware made its way to local smartphones when users were downloading a game application called "3-D Anti-Terrorist Action" and a video component Codec Pack. Since then, both programs have been deleted and AhnLab updated its mobile vaccine programs that are distributed free of charge.
AhnLab said that smartphone users must be aware of any international calls being made automatically and make sure to check if numbers linked to the malicious program are found on the call list, as they may be signs of the malware running in the device.
More than 1,000 cases of malicious codes targeting smartphones have been reported worldwide since 2004, and they have come in various forms including personal information leaks, false payment charges, and user function control, the KCC said.
"Once smartphones get infected by malicious codes, it could not only lead to leakage of data but also to the control of devices remotely by hackers," Professor Yi Jeong-hyun of Soongsil University told local reporters in February, after demonstrating how vulnerable smartphones running on the Window's Mobile system could be.
SMARTPHONE USERS ON THE RISE
South Korea's smartphone market has been growing at a quick pace recently especially following the release of Apple Inc.'s iPhone late last year.
The iPhone has sold more than 500,000 units in South Korea since its debut in the country just about four months ago, which was the fastest pace to break the half-million mark among local smartphone products, according to local mobile distributor KT Corp. , who also has exclusive rights to sell Apple's product here.
KT added, spurred by the iPhone's release in South Korea, smartphones will account for 17 percent of the total mobile phone market in the country by 2012, amounting to nearly 5.5 million additional smartphone devices in the local market.
Adding to the effect, a government report said South Korea's mobile banking industry is expected to see tremendous growth by 2012 when more than 12 million online banking transactions are projected to take place, up from a mere 1.87 million in 2009.
The increase in mobile banking, however, could pose a threat to smartphone users as viral codes could potentially expose personal information to unintended recipients, local experts said.
Local media said the iPhone may be less susceptible to malicious codes since Apple goes through a strict review process for all of its applications, but other mobile operating systems-- such as the Window's Mobile and Google's Android-- are known to be more vulnerable to security breaches as they do not have to go through a review process before being uploaded to the application store.
In order to battle iPhone's growing market share, local brands such as Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Co. have introduced smartphone devices running on both Window's Mobile and Android operating systems in South Korea, with LG planning to release nearly 70 percent of its smartphone models on Google's operating system.
"The importance of smartphone security will grow along with the release of various smartphone platforms and operating systems," AhnLab CEO Kim Hong-sun said.
EFFORTS TO TACKLE MALWARE ON SMARTPHONES
In response, local companies have been making efforts to tackle security concerns of smartphones.
AhnLab has unveiled its newly developed smartphone vaccine programs last month that are applicable to Google's Android and Apple's iPhone operating systems.
The "V3 Mobile for Android" is capable of automatically discovering and fixing viral codes detected on Android platform- based smartphones, as it also runs regular virus checks and builds personal information protection walls, the company said.
The "V3 Mobile+for iPhone" is a program that checks whether the iPhone has gone through the "Jail Break" process, which allows any platform-based application to be used on the device, and it will offer enhanced security when doing mobile banking or stock trading through the iPhone, AhnLab said.
AhnLab has already developed vaccine programs for the Windows Mobile operating system in 2006 and for Research in Motion's Blackberry devices last year.
Also, local mobile carrier SK Telecom said it will be offering a virus scan program developed by McAfee, a U.S-based antivirus software and computer security firm, to its customers using Android-based smartphones.
KT, iPhone's exclusive distributor here, has also signed an agreement last month with Symantec Corp., a U.S.-based computer security firm, and Hauri Inc., a local antivirus program maker, to cooperate on developing smartphone antivirus programs.
"Mobile companies used to be able to control all of its contents and software in the past. But the advent of smartphones and user-created applications has opened up a new era where it has become nearly impossible to manage all of its applications--thus increasing the chances of malicious codes cracking into its operating systems," AhnLab's Kim said.
: LinHongJun
: Iso-G
: JaeHyung Lee
