July 19th, 2004
Duts: First PocketPC virus
The Register is reporting the existence of Duts, the first PocketPC virus.
Remember the European virus writer collective 29A Labs I talked about while talking of Cabir earlier today? The same group has created Duts.
Just like Cabir, Duts is a proof-of-concept and exists only in the laboratory, not in the wild. Similarly, the virus was mailed directly to the anti-virus firms.
Duts is a traditional parasitic virus but it’s hardly much of a threat because the virus asks for permission before spreading to other files. Once an infected file is launched, it displays the following dialogue box: “Dear User, am I allowed to spread?” If the user clicks yes, Duts infects executable files located in My Device (root directory) of a PocketPC. Duts does not appear to have any destructive payload.
In theory, Duts can reach mobile devices by email or the Internet, through removable memory, by synchronization with a PC or through Bluetooth. The virus is also capable of infecting mobile phones running ARM-based version of PocketPC.
Viruslist has put up the details on Duts including a screenshot of the prompt mentioned above.
Wow.