Russian phone virus that 'steals money' may spread globally

A virus that attacks the mobile phones in Russia and 'steals money' by sending unauthorised SMS texts to gain control over the bank account, could spread globally, experts here have warned.

The virus that had only previously been seen in Russia, has now been found on an Indonesian cell phone, a leading antivirus lab here has informed.

"The unauthorised operating of mobile phone users' accounts will gain momentum in future, and spread all across the world," Denis Maslennikov, a virus analyst for the Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab was quoted as saying by Russia Today TV.

The virus gains unauthorised control over the cell account and then sends an SMS to a service number, requesting a money transfer from the victims account.

The unnamed virus is a Trojan and takes control of the victim's mobile account, and steals money from it.

Those at risk are phones which run the Symbian file system for mobile devises and have SMS money transfer enabled.

As wireless phone and PDA networks become more numerous and more complex, it has become increasingly difficult to secure them against viruses. Though a major mobile epidemic is still to come, a few viruses are already active.