Cell phone virus attacks 1 million cell phone users
A cell phone virus has infected over 1 million mobile phone users in China.
A man talks on his mobile phone in Beijing, China. A cell phone virus has broken out in China, affecting more than 1 million people.
David Gray/Reuters/File
New York
A new virus has struck, but this time it is attacking mobile phones instead of computers. Shanghai Daily reports that over 1 million mobile phone users in China have been affected by the new cell phone virus since September.
It is called the "zombie virus," and comes built into a fake anti-virus application that many are unwittingly downloading for protection. Instead of providing protection for the cell phone users, the application launches a malicious virus.
The zombie virus starts by sending the phone's info and contact list to the hackers. With that information the hackers begin their assault on the phone and the user's contacts. The contacts begin receiving non-stop text messages which collectively have added up to $300,000 (2 million CNY) per day in texting fees to those infected.
One victim told Xinhua state news that “the payment list showed that I had sent messages to my friends at midnight and even some to other phone numbers which I didn't know.”
The source of the virus has not yet been uncovered.