Born as what some thought an experimental virus just to see if it was possible to go, the Cabir mobile phone worm has been spotted in the United States, eight months after it was born in the Philippines, according to Finnish security research firm F-Secure.
The worm has spread to a reported twelve countries and, so far, can drain cell phone batteries at worst, according to F-Secure director Mikko Hypponen, who said Cabir was spotted in a tech store in Santa Monica, California.
A passing tech worker saw what Hypponen called a telltale sign of the bug on an in-store phone screen. "It's interesting (Cabir) has now been found in the United States, but it's not the end of the world," he said, though he added that cell phone virus threats are likely to grow as the bug writers get more sophisticated and cell phones standardize technologies which might make it easier for bugs to spread over them.
One point in favor of those who fight such viruses: Cabir is a slow spreader because it moves only over short distances through the Bluetooth wireless technology array, and because it also requires a cell phone user to restart the unit after exposure for Cabir to take hold, Hypponen said.
