今回同社が警告しているのは、Ojom社が制作した携帯向けゲーム「Mosquitos」の海賊版。Series 60プラットフォーム向けで、Webサイト、あるいはP2Pネットワークなどを介して不正に出回っているという。この海賊版にはトロイの木馬が仕掛けられており、ゲームが起動している裏側でイギリス、ドイツ、オランダ、スイスなどにテキストメッセージを送信する。なお、この海賊版に含まれるトロイの木馬は、ユーザーが海賊版ゲームを任意にダウンロードし、インストールしない限り発動しない。
発見されたのは、「Mosquitos」というシューティングゲーム。違法な海賊版ゲームを配布している、いわゆる“Warez”サイトなどで配布されていたという。このゲームはもともと独Ojom社が開発したゲームだが、Warezサイトに掲載され、さらにP2Pネットワークで流通していた同ゲームの海賊版の中にトロイの木馬が仕掛けられていることが判明した。
Mosquitosの海賊版をンストールしようとすると、セキュリティに関する警告や、このソフトが海賊版であることを示す画面が表示されるが、インストールを続ければゲームを通常通りプレイすることはできる。しかし、背後でトロイの木馬が英国、ドイツ、オランダ、スイスの有料電話に勝手に接続し、通話料金を詐取すると見られている。
このトロイの木馬は、携帯電話の利用者が自発的にWarezサイトやP2Pネットワークで海賊版ゲームをダウンロードしない限り感染しない。携帯電話利用者が海賊版のソフトウェアを入手するなど、違法な行動をとることがいかに危険であるかを示す好例となっている。
なお、日本では富士通製のFOMA端末にSymbian OSが採用されているが、このトロイの木馬には感染しないとSymbianでは説明している。
同社では、このような海賊版の利用に警告を発しているほか、対処法なども明らかにしている。
Information about Mosquitos Trojan
Symbian is aware that an illegally adapted or ‘cracked’ game called Mosquitos is being distributed by ‘warez’ websites (illegal software download sites) and on peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. This game has been illegally adapted from the legitimate Mosquitos game developed by Ojom.
If installed by the user, the illegal game may act as a ‘trojan’ (malware hidden inside other - apparently innocent - software) causing the phone to send text messages to premium rate numbers without the user’s approval or knowledge.
Symbian has limited first hand knowledge of this malware but offers the following summary information and advice:
・The only way to infect a phone with the malware is by deliberate installation of an illegal copy of the Mosquitos game by the user
・Installation of the game requires the user to ignore two warnings that the identity of the application developer is unknown
・If the user agrees to continue with installation, the following information is displayed on the screen, making it clear to the user that the game is an illegal, pirated version:
・The Mosquitos game appears to have been ‘cracked’ only for phones using the Series 60 User Interface platform
・Phones using the UIQ user interface platform (Sony Ericsson, Motorola, BenQ, Arima) or the NTT DoCoMo MOAP platform (Fujitsu) cannot be affected by this malware
The four premium rate numbers embedded in the trojan are reported to be for the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland only
・We believe that uninstalling and thus deleting the game will remove the malware and prevents any further incidence of unauthorised SMS activity
Symbian's view on the Mosquitos Trojan
The Mosquitos trojan is a clear indication that users need to be aware of the risks of downloading and installing illegal or pirated software.
Symbian takes security issues extremely seriously and works constantly to develop and integrate the most advanced security features for Symbian OS.
Symbian believes that mobile security is the responsibility of the entire industry. It requires co-operation and trust – values the Symbian OS open approach encourages. Symbian provides the required infrastructure for security and works with partners, licensees, network operators and standards bodies to further ensure security needs of the market are met. No system for security can be guaranteed 100%. However, Symbian has measures in place to minimise the potential for a widespread attack focused on Symbian OS phones.
Symbian has led an industry-wide initiative to develop the Symbian Signed program under which software applications designed for Symbian OS are signed with a tamper-proof digital certificate that validates the identity of the application's developer, thus discouraging the installation of unsigned applications. Symbian anticipates that adoption of Symbian Signed will be widespread and will represent a significant barrier to the distribution of malware.
Questions and Answers about the Mosquitos Trojan and Symbian OS security
Q – What is a trojan?
A – A trojan is malware hidden inside other – apparently innocent – software.
Q – How do I know if my phone is affected by this trojan?
A – If you have downloaded an illegal copy of the Mosquitos game and installed it on your Symbian OS phone, your phone is at risk from the trojan.
Q – I have the Mosquitos game on my phone, what should I do?
A – If you have installed an illegal copy of the game we advise you to uninstall it immediately. We believe that uninstalling and thus deleting the game will remove the malware and prevents any further incidence of unauthorised SMS activity.
Q – I had the Mosquitos game on my phone, is it safe to carry on using the same removable media card?
A – If the game has been uninstalled and deleted, website reports suggest yes, it is safe.
Q – How can I avoid my phone being affected by this trojan?
A – Your phone can only be affected if you have installed an illegal copy of the Mosquitos game onto your phone.
Q – How can I protect my phone from other types of malware?
A – Mobile phone users can protect their phone from harmful applications by following the simple measures:
Only download applications and content – preferably Symbian Signed – from trusted sources such as network operator or handset manufacturer web portals
If your device gives a security warning during installation it means that the content is not Symbian Signed. If this is the case you should consider carefully whether the application or content has been created by a trustworthy source, particularly if you have received the application or content from another phone via infra-red or Bluetooth.
Q – How is Symbian OS protected from malware?
A – Symbian OS provides a number of elements that make it secure. This includes protection from malware through signature checks and features that enable virus scanners from leading anti-virus vendors.
Q – Open phones means open to viruses, aren't Symbian OS phones susceptible to viruses?
A – An open programming environment can attract both benevolent and (the very small minority of) malicious developers. Symbian OS minimizes the risk of attack by advanced security within the OS itself and the use of application signing schemes (Symbian’s or those of network operators and licensees) and through the use of virus scanners (produced by partners).
Q – What is Symbian doing to prevent viruses or trojans in the future?
A – Symbian takes security issues very seriously and works constantly to develop and integrate the most advanced security features for Symbian OS. Symbian believes that mobile security is the responsibility of the entire industry. It requires co-operation and trust – values the Symbian OS open approach encourages. Symbian provides the required infrastructure for security and works with partners, licensees, network operators and standards bodies to further ensure security needs of the market are met. No system for security can be guaranteed 100%. However, Symbian has measures in place to minimize the chance of a widespread attack focused on Symbian OS devices.
Symbian OS provides the following elements in security for protection from malware (viruses, trojans, worms, etc):
・Symbian provides an infrastructure which allows network operators and manufacturers to use application signing (and revocation) for applications which are used on their Symbian devices. This allows the creation of application signing programs which can be used to verify the integrity of applications before allowing their use on the handsets
・Symbian has led an industry-wide initiative to develop the Symbian Signed program under which software applications designed for Symbian OS are signed with a tamper-proof digital certificate that validates the identity of the application's developer, thus discouraging the installation of unsigned applications. Symbian anticipates that adoption of Symbian Signed will be widespread and will represent a significant barrier to the distribution of malware
・Virus scanners through enabling partners – Symantec, F-Secure, McAfee and other major anti-virus technology vendors.
海外の携帯電話やBluetoothヘッドセットが海外から直接購入できます。
（私も購入しましたがサポートがしっかりしていたので、安心できました。）
