Airborne Viruses

Mechanical Engineering, May 2005 by Thilmany, Jean

FOLLOWING THE APPEARANCE OF viruses that infect cell phones from a distance, security experts wonder if computers running home digital television sets, burglar alarms, or even global positioning systems could be similarly infected and disabled, according to a story distributed by the Scripps-Howard News Service.

Alfred Huger, senior director of engineering at the security software firm Symantec Corp. of Cupertino, Calif, expects that in the future someone just walking through a house with an infected cell phone could pass viruses to home computers or any other device with a wireless connection.

The possibility of cell-phone viruses that can be transmitted through wireless connections was only theoretical until a year ago, when a version of the Cabir virus turned up on two cell phones displayed behind glass windows in a California cell-phone store, Huber said.

The exact method of infection isn't known, but it is suspected that a passerby transferred the infected viruses through a wireless connection, according to the news story.

It hasn't happened yet, but Paul Stamp, a technology analyst with Forrester Research in Cambridge, Mass., said that it's theoretically possible that future viruses could jump across platforms.

"If it is attached to a network and if it is programmable, then there is a chance it can be infected," Stamp said.

Internet stories that viruses could affect computers operating vital components of cars, such as brakes or running systems, prompted Toyota and Lexus engineers to issue a statement last month saying the global positioning systems on their cars use proprietary computer software. They said that it is not possible for someone to infect their system with a virus, according to the news story.