The plot of the movie where people bitten by zombies turn into zombies who bite others has been replayed in a "mobile phone" version. Yesterday, CCTV's Weekly Quality Report covered the dangers and causes of the "mobile zombie" virus. It was reported that in the first week of September, nearly one million mobile phones across the country were found to be infected with this virus.
Ms. Wang, a mobile phone user in Beijing, discovered that her phone was being charged for messages she didn't send, while her friends received unsolicited advertising messages from her phone in the middle of the night. After testing by a mobile security company, Ms. Wang found that her phone had been infected with the "mobile zombie" virus. This virus can automatically send advertising messages to the contacts in the phone and spread continuously through text messages, showing strong aggressiveness.
Infection Method:
Bundled Plugins Send Poisonous Messages
Professionals have discovered that a software application called Mobile Safe Box bundled with a small plugin in the phone is actually a type of mobile virus. Once infected, the phone will upload the SIM card identifier and other configuration information to a server controlled by hackers. Then, the hackers can control the phone through the server to send any content message to any number at any time.
CCTV reporters learned that this virus has rare aggressiveness, and some of the links in the messages sent are also hidden with viruses. Once others receive the message and click on the link, similar viruses will be installed on their phones. And then, this phone will attack other phones.
Zombie Spread:
Similar to Pyramid Schemes
Professor Zou Shihong from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, who has been studying mobile phone security for many years, said that the transmission characteristics of this virus are somewhat like pyramid schemes, where one level infects another. The longer it lasts, the more phones are infected and controlled, presenting exponential explosive growth. Director Zhou Yonglin of the National Internet Emergency Response Center Operations Department said that in the first week of September, nearly one million mobile phones nationwide were found to be infected with this virus. It was reported that the zombie mobile virus is hard for users and operators to detect.
Profit 10 Times:
Channel Providers May Be the Culprits
Due to the open internet environment, many people can impersonate IP addresses and post virus-laden software on forums for download, making it difficult to track down the creators and disseminators of the virus. Technicians found that a large part of the messages sent by phones infected with the "mobile zombie" virus were advertising messages. It was reported that websites such as gaming sites often entrust SMS promotion to channel providers, who may be the culprits behind this virus. According to industry insiders, channel providers spend about 0.03 to 0.05 yuan per message, usually sending around 100,000 messages each time, costing about 3000 yuan, with earnings of approximately 6000 yuan. However, by embedding the "mobile zombie" virus in SMS messages, the same cost of 3000 yuan can bring tenfold profits, or 60,000 yuan. One million mobile phones consume about 2 million yuan worth of user fees daily.
Variant Virus:
Can Kill Antivirus Software
Besides the "mobile zombie" virus, there are currently variants of the virus appearing on the network. This variant can automatically send messages under the locked state of the phone, making it hard for users to notice. Meanwhile, an increasing number of mobile viruses not only evade interception by operators but can even kill antivirus software.