Cabir virus: a grim precursor of things to come?

A number of Singapore mobile users have been targeted by the new ‘Cabir’ virus in what is believed to be the first outbreak of the worm in the consumer wireless market. First discovered in June 2004, Cabir infects phones that use the Symbian operating system and spreads via Bluetooth wireless connections, meaning that users have to manually accept the file before it can affect their phone. Whilst the main concern for those infected is the considerable battery power drain as the virus attempts to send itself to as many other handsets as possible, analysts are concerned that Cabir is being used as a trial before more harmful variants are released.