After your computer, it's now your cellphone that is being targeted by hackers. A new mobile spyware programme, which has already hit several cellphone users, enables hackers to have complete control of your phone without your knowledge. Sankalp, a management student, discovered this the hard way when he suddenly started getting complaints from friends and relatives about him sending porn MMSes and SMSes. When he took his cellphone to a repair shop, he was startled to learn that his phone had been hit by a mobile spyware programme.
The same thing also happened to MiD DAY reporter Divyesh. He was amazed when people called him, saying they had received messages from his number regarding a cash prize of Rs 50 lakh. One of the recipients, Pooja Gangan, said, "The message stated that I had won Rs 50 lakh from Vodafone and should collect the money in five days." Another recipient of a similar message, Rupesh Kadam, was asked to go to Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City in Navi Mumbai to collect the prize money of Rs 50 lakh from Reliance Infocomm.
A Delhi-based ethical hacker said, "This can turn really vicious, as it can hack into millions of mobiles.
This could be the next form of virtual war after computer hacking. The affected users may not be aware of the fact that they have been hit by a hacker even as the hacker keeps track of every move they make."
It protects mobiles
An anti-virus software can protect the mobiles and experts now recommend that everyone take this precaution.
A corporate communication executive from Airtel said, "It's not possible that such messages are sent from Airtel to Reliance and Vodafone. And there cannot be two users of same number."
Sr PI Mukund Pawar (cyber cell) said, "We have got few such cases and we are working on them."
What is Spyware?
Spyware is a tool that manipulates SMSes and allows them to be read by others. It is very easy to install. When a target opens the SMS sent by the hacker, the spyware gets installed automatically. The hackers then gain complete control of the infected mobile. They can even make free calls
