Database Users

Securing sensitive information in contacts

Hi everyone,
I have quite a lot of sensitive information in the notes of some of my contacts. Is there any way to hide/secure/password this information. I am somewhat concerned that if my xda2 is lost or stolen then this information could be used for evil, not for good if you know what I mean.
Any advise would be appreciated

I don't put any sensitive info in Contacts. I put them in eWallet (3rd-party software; I got it from my old iPAQ) which is password-protected. I also password-protect my XDA II (Settings->Password).

not only THAT, but you can also password the SIM card too! so no one can use the sim card in their own cell phone, to make long distance calls
but hey Jargon!!! since you seem to work at pccillin... someone was arguing that ppc dont have viruses, but i said its not true, coz i have a pccillin on my ppc!... can you settle that question for us?

ntabikha said:
but hey Jargon!!! since you seem to work at pccillin... someone was arguing that ppc dont have viruses, but i said its not true, coz i have a pccillin on my ppc!... can you settle that question for us?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fortunately, there are no Pocket PC viruses in the wild at this time. But the Pocket PC can be a carrier of viruses, worms and trojans that can infect other platforms (the Pocket PC itself won't be infected). There are already existing viruses that can infect Palm devices though.

XDA II / PDA VIRUS DETECTED

Guys
I noticed my XDA II device was playing up and things started slowing down and everything
checked around and found that there was a PDA Virus released on the net
if your XDA or XDAII device connects to a PC while your on the net, then you WILL catch the VIRUS
it doesn't seem to be detected by antivirus software either !
downloaded a file called AIRSCANANTIVIRUSPDA.EXE and ran that !
seems to have cleaned my device no problems.
not sure if it's free or anything as i got it from a guy in OZ, but if you can't find it i'll add it to a posting
my opinion is that the antivirus makers are the people that create them ! then charge for antivirus, but hey ! that's just what i think !

just checked the software and about button and it comes up with http://www.airscanner.com/mobile/
check it out for yourselves !
hope it helps guys
cheers

nightwolf said:
I noticed my XDA II device was playing up and things started slowing down and everything
checked around and found that there was a PDA Virus released on the net
if your XDA or XDAII device connects to a PC while your on the net, then you WILL catch the VIRUS
it doesn't seem to be detected by antivirus software either !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've probably encountered the WM2003 notifications bug, not a virus. You can use the CheckNotifications program to fix that.
nightwolf said:
my opinion is that the antivirus makers are the people that create them ! then charge for antivirus, but hey ! that's just what i think !
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I work for a major antivirus company and I can tell you for a fact that we don't create viruses. In fact, we signed an agreement that anyone who writes a virus will not only be fired but blacklisted. A virus writer will never get a job in any antivirus company. Engineers from the different antivirus companies meet regularly to cooperate in the fight against viruses. Writing a virus is a mortal sin in the antivirus industry. Imagine the damage to the industry's reputation if customers find out that the antivirus companies are creating the problems that they are solving.

if your XDA or XDA II device connects to a PC while your on the net, then you WILL catch the VIRUS
it doesn't seem to be detected by antivirus software either !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Riiiight... And the same place you learned that also told you about the million dollars that Bill Gates is going to send you for forwarding his e-mail, and to watch out for your kidneys if you wake up in a motel room in Vegas.

nightwolf said:
Guys
I noticed my XDA II device was playing up and things started slowing down and everything
checked around and found that there was a PDA Virus released on the net
if your XDA or XDAII device connects to a PC while your on the net, then you WILL catch the VIRUS
it doesn't seem to be detected by antivirus software either !
downloaded a file called AIRSCANANTIVIRUSPDA.EXE and ran that !
seems to have cleaned my device no problems.
not sure if it's free or anything as i got it from a guy in OZ, but if you can't find it i'll add it to a posting
my opinion is that the antivirus makers are the people that create them ! then charge for antivirus, but hey ! that's just what i think !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is one, but it's spread as an executable file, which needs to be opened to infect a Pocket PC. You can't just catch it by accessing the net. HThe standard avise not to open unknown executable files aplies here.

Jargon said:
A virus writer will never get a job in any antivirus company.
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I know several people working on Kasperski antivirus company who created viruses when being students
Currently there is only one "proof of concept" PDA virus. And it is not dangerous.

mamaich said:
Jargon said:
A virus writer will never get a job in any antivirus company.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know several people working on Kasperski antivirus company who created viruses when being students
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Thanks. Our marketing department will be interested in knowing their names. :wink:

Isn't there a big difference between *writing* a virus and releasing it?

Carlos said:
Isn't there a big difference between *writing* a virus and releasing it?
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Its a huge difference. Lots of my friends wrote simple viruses in childhood (and even I did), but they were never released, though their code was used in other projects. I've even seen a book "Vriting virus and anti-virus" that was published in Russian.

Anti-Virus on T-Mobile Ameo

Has anyone else noticed that if they have both Co-Pilot, and the anti-virus application - Both supplied with my Ameo.... and soft reset, the phone will go in some strange loop.
Shows the T-Mobile screen, then the Microsoft Push Email, flashes the today screen for less than a second, back to T-Mobile screen... repeat.
Only way I've seen to get round it is safe mode the unit and uninstall the antivirus.
I know most will say why bother with antivirus... but for a sense of security I would prefer it, does anyone else have this problem? Anyone know of any better anti-virus software? Or a fix for this one?
Cheers

I agree with you that anti-virus software of a good practice. I'm also keen in looking for a good one.
However, I experience what you described when evaluating the spb tips and spb mobile shell. I had to do a safe mode reset too.

eaglesteve said:
I agree with you that anti-virus software of a good practice. I'm also keen in looking for a good one.
However, I experience what you described when evaluating the spb tips and spb mobile shell. I had to do a safe mode reset too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't tend to use SPB Tips, want to have Mobile Shell, had that on my Compact III and thought it was great, but heard people on here reporting incompatibility with Ameo regarding speaker issues so going to wait until the next release...
Or have you got it working well?
Regards

Anti-virus for PDA = 100% Marketing
That's what I think. I'm sorry.

Deleted Post

mahjong said:
Anti-virus for PDA = 100% Marketing
That's what I think. I'm sorry.
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If you can pick up a lot of virus' simply by surfin on the internet with the pop up etc, why can you not pick them up when viewing them on an alternate device?

You will soon have no choice but to add anti-virus to your list of essential applications for the phone. Trust me on this.

I have to agree. There was a time the PocketPC was safe, unless you download warez there was no chance of being infected. Even then it was rare.
Its seems that the success of HTC and the windows mobile phones puts them in the windows desktop attack bracket. Now there are so many, and they are all getting data connections its worth attacking them.
Sorry to say it, but while AV on ppc at the moment is dubious, it will soon be required.
I dont know why WM6 doesnt have DEP (data execution protection) etc like vista. They could make it much more secure but havent bothered.
btw, itxda, sounds like your making a threat there! lol. Your not writing a virus are you?

Consideration 1.
A virus need to be programmed for the machine and OS you need want to infect. Can someone tell me a reported case of a virus programmed for Windows Mobile? Please don't report what Symantec or Panda said about it... I mean a real case reported by some user. None.
Consideration 2.
Virus propagation. The way to propagate a virus is into excutable code (this means EXE files) or finding a way to introduce and executable code in a non-executable file, like a .zip file. Then you need to spread that infected code. How in a PDA? Exchanging files? A few exchange of EXE is done in PDA. Thru the network? Cmon... there is a few opportunities for a PDA virus to exist and a few to spread.
Consideration 3.
Don't get confused. Having PocketPC IE doesn't mean that you are on risk of the troyans or virus or even spyware that IE for Windows XP has. First of all because the code to be executed on a PC is not executable in a PPC and second that the target APIs and files in a PC are not in a PPC.
Consideration 4.
Please don't mention Bluetooth virus. The ones existing (if any) are for Symbian and even in Symbian world there are so many incompatible versions of symbian that a given virus has real troubles to spread in the network.
SO...
If I question the fact of someone coding virus for this particular machine and OS, and I question the regular ways of spreading virus, and I question the network and IE risks... What's left? The marketing interest of anti-virus makers.
All this applies to anti-virus programs for Apple Mac, Linux of all kind, symbian phones... and phones in general.
Motorola got a lot of market share in USA... doesn't someone ever in USA got a virus on a Motorola? Never ever. Same for PocketPC. Trust me.
Regards,
mahjong

mahjong said:
Consideration 1.
A virus need to be programmed for the machine and OS you need want to infect. Can someone tell me a reported case of a virus programmed for Windows Mobile? Please don't report what Symantec or Panda said about it... I mean a real case reported by some user. None.
Consideration 2.
Virus propagation. The way to propagate a virus is into excutable code (this means EXE files) or finding a way to introduce and executable code in a non-executable file, like a .zip file. Then you need to spread that infected code. How in a PDA? Exchanging files? A few exchange of EXE is done in PDA. Thru the network? Cmon... there is a few opportunities for a PDA virus to exist and a few to spread.
Consideration 3.
Don't get confused. Having PocketPC IE doesn't mean that you are on risk of the troyans or virus or even spyware that IE for Windows XP has. First of all because the code to be executed on a PC is not executable in a PPC and second that the target APIs and files in a PC are not in a PPC.
Consideration 4.
Please don't mention Bluetooth virus. The ones existing (if any) are for Symbian and even in Symbian world there are so many incompatible versions of symbian that a given virus has real troubles to spread in the network.
SO...
If I question the fact of someone coding virus for this particular machine and OS, and I question the regular ways of spreading virus, and I question the network and IE risks... What's left? The marketing interest of anti-virus makers.
All this applies to anti-virus programs for Apple Mac, Linux of all kind, symbian phones... and phones in general.
Motorola got a lot of market share in USA... doesn't someone ever in USA got a virus on a Motorola? Never ever. Same for PocketPC. Trust me.
Regards,
mahjong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your post, very imformative.
You've converted me,,, for now.
But at the end of the day, what I think sells the software is the fact that it gives the end-user peace of mind.
You can tell people that they don't need something, don't have to do something until you're blue in the face and with all the facts in the world. But there will still be a large number of people that will want it anyway, just for peace of mind...
Also.... can anyone tell me have they had the problems that I had on post #1 :-D ... I've hard reset and installed but still get the problem, without the antivirus installed....
I think it's now looking to be the fault of SPB software, has anyone discovered a fix?

The main purpose of AV software on PPC devices is to scan synched email; if you get email on your Athena, then plug into Outlook, it may (theoretically) pass a virus on.

You know we tend to do quite a bit of testing out new and interesting applications downloaded free. Could'nt a virus be disguised as a free applications and when we run the CAB, confidential info will just simply be extracted, or registry item be manipulated etc?

eaglesteve said:
You know we tend to do quite a bit of testing out new and interesting applications downloaded free. Could'nt a virus be disguised as a free applications and when we run the CAB, confidential info will just simply be extracted, or registry item be manipulated etc?
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Now that's a well thought out statement and question.
As easy as it is to develop applications on the Windows Mobile platform, it's only a matter of time before we start seeing serious viruses and trojans. There are a few out there already but aren't wide spread yet. As on any system, if you open attachments via e-mail or download from the Internet, it's only going to be a matter of time. Time is coming soon. Trust me on this point. Not everyone will be hit but it'll make a mark.
What about writing a virus that can infect your phone, sms your info and GPS coordinates to someone? ;-)
Viruses aren't difficult at all to write. On any platform, Wintel/Linux/Mac/etc.
When one of the scriptkiddies determines that he's been bored all week because he's home for summer vacation and looks over at daddies cell phone....one of them will wonder..."how fast can I propogate a virus throughout cell phones".
Not an if it happens just a when. Let's just be patient and we'll be hearing about the first infections in no time at all.
Heck, someone on this forum could one day write something that infects everyone. You never know.

Hmmm I see what all of you meant but remember the key is "coding a virus for a given machine and OS"... If you don't code the virus that way will not affect the PDA.
Talking about virus I remember the slogan of the New York Mafia: "First we created the need of having protection... them we sell it". (just a joke don't flame... people).

ltxda said:
As easy as it is to develop applications on the Windows Mobile platform, it's only a matter of time before we start seeing serious viruses and trojans. There are a few out there already but aren't wide spread yet. As on any system, if you open attachments via e-mail or download from the Internet, it's only going to be a matter of time. Time is coming soon. Trust me on this point. Not everyone will be hit but it'll make a mark.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People have been saying "it's coming soon" for years. It has always been easy to program for the Windows Mobile platform, but that hasn't changed the fact that it has now been seven (or five, depending on how you count) years without a virus on Windows Mobile.
Let's hope that people are smart enough to keep it that way. Virus programmers need to get their heads checked...

Moskus said:
People have been saying "it's coming soon" for years. It has always been easy to program for the Windows Mobile platform, but that hasn't changed the fact that it has now been seven (or five, depending on how you count) years without a virus on Windows Mobile.
Let's hope that people are smart enough to keep it that way. Virus programmers need to get their heads checked...
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Click to collapse
LOL, agreed.
Kids don't always think logically. We have all done stupid things in our youth. That tradition will never die.

I think this is a useful thread, but not sure it answered the original question, so can I re-state and add?
1. Is the included F-Secure a/v programme the best one for the job?
2. Is it worth-while paying to keep it updated?
Many thanks
Robert

Noob question; Anti virus on X1?

OK. I have never owned or used a Winmo device, so prefer to take advice from actual users, rather than random google hits.
As we are getting so close to actually owning these hot devices (UK), I was just wondering anout web security, what with it being a Microshaft OS, and all.
I would be using the device quite a lot for Internet browsing, etc, so . . . .
Should i install antivirus software, and/or anti spyware software?
If so, what do other Winmo users recommend, Allbeit for other devices, and what would be available for X1 anyway?
Cheers for any help, people.
Stay happy, John

Hi,
Read the following article;
Title: "Mobile security: An ounce of prevention"
Link: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/totalaccess/columns/mobile-security.mspx
Links five antiviruses on that site. I also hear that McAfee also provides a mobile solution - if so, then i'm probably gonna try out that first. But am hoping that Xperia does come with it's own protection software...
Best Regards.

Is there really any point?
They're 500 viruses for ALL mobile OSs maximum...
And most of them arent that harmful at all, it'll be quite hard to get infected and not that hard to get rid of it...

Yeah, don't think the overhead is worth it. I don't leave my Bluetooth on and don't open attachments you don't expect...you should be fine

Cool... since this'll be my first WinMo device, i was wondering if i needed an antivirus or not. I figure not.

i realise this is quite an old post but i'm also a noob and was thinking the same thing. Another forum told me it was essential to buy a virus protector but here it seems not. Now the xperia is released and known...how important is it to get one? Thanks

put an antivirus on your pda si one of the most stupid things you can do

hehe i was thinking as much! some people in other forums are obviously a bit stupid then haha. thanks

Just scan all the files before you transfer them on the desktop if you're worried and only get "over the air" cab files from places you trust..
Attachments can be (and should be Imo) set to download manually in email settings on your device.

am a windows platform owner since 2001 and since then i have never used a security software and never been hit or attacked though i would call my self a heavy internet user since i use internet as a dataplan and through active sync and even back in those days i used to use it as dialup

Virus software, and protecting your HD2?

From all my browsing on here recently, on not one occasion have I seen Anti Virus / anti malware tools mentioned.
I have a bit of a blackspot in my thinking on this - is it recommended / necessary to have such tools on Windows Mobiles? What do people do to protect their HD2s?

http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/get-flexilis-mobile-security-with-antivirus.html
i have not tested it on the HD2

Security thru obscurity - WM has such a relatively ****e mktshare I don't think u have to worry too much about firewalls and antivirus... as long as you scan the files you copy over to your phone via ActiveSync I think ur pretty much safe.
If u really want antivirus I think Kaspersky or some other major provider offer solutions....

hi! i use eset mobile antivirus...

I think I need to look into an anti virus/firewall type of software, as I've just found out I may have been affected by something called The Koobface worm which sent out messages from my facebook account to all my friends asking them to check out a link which was just some money scam.
I have since changed my password, but I don't know if it will happen again. I'm surprised as I have hardly used the internet on my HD2, apart from merely checking well know sites like BBC and MSN.

i am also interested in this, is it really worth it? most viruses i have seen descriptions of for WM seem to relate to social networking sites and direct access apps. since i dont use these sort of sites, is there any need for concern? after all, regular backups of this sort of device seem like the better option to an always live cpu-eating (and battery) scanning program.

grega_slo said:
hi! i use eset mobile antivirus...
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I've used their Anti-Virus on my PC/s and I found that it leaves a small footprint in comparison to the likes of Symantec etc... however, how does the mobile version effect your battery life and performance of your device?
I've looked a the ESET website and they reckon it's not that resource hungry, but real world usage usually is different...

Hi!
I get battery drain as most people here... About 3% per hour in standby mode...
It is resource hungry when you perform scan... But I really need just on access scanner... Realtime scanning is important...

Antivirus/Antimalware is not currently necessary in WinMo devices. It simply drains resources protecting against threats that don't exist.
Viruses are unlikely as the OS is in ROM (unlike PCs where the OS is just another set of user files) and malware has yet to reach WinMo in any real form though it has been produced in the labs of some AV developers. The difference is that malware needs to be positively accepted on the device to install- it can't install silently due to the way the OS works.
Your choice at the end of the day, but PC threats cannot infect/affect WinMo devices.

webjunky said:
http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/get-flexilis-mobile-security-with-antivirus.html
i have not tested it on the HD2
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Thanks webjunky, I've got it running on my phone, quite cool actually, bunch of online tools such as "Scream" which can be used incase you misplace your phone, you can use the facility to make you phone "Scream". Only useful if your phone is nearby and you can't find it, handy though if you have it on silent and can't find it by ring with another phone.
The GPS/network locater is cool too, you can go online and locate your phone, takes about 5mins to locate, bit like in the films when they try to "trace" a call
I don't know if its a placebo effect, but I think the phone might be abit slower, but hard to tell to be honest.

NeilM said:
Antivirus/Antimalware is not currently necessary in WinMo devices. It simply drains resources protecting against threats that don't exist.
Viruses are unlikely as the OS is in ROM (unlike PCs where the OS is just another set of user files) and malware has yet to reach WinMo in any real form though it has been produced in the labs of some AV developers. The difference is that malware needs to be positively accepted on the device to install- it can't install silently due to the way the OS works.
Your choice at the end of the day, but PC threats cannot infect/affect WinMo devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks NeilM, that makes alot of sense. I'm still worried about how facebook messages were sent via my HD2 to all my friends. Is it more a facebook issue, or could it be the "Koobface" worm some how got onto my phone?

This is likely to be a problem generated by a PC infected by koobface- either yours or one of your contacts, if the messages are indeed infected.
The HD2 is not susceptible to any PC threats so it hasn't come from there- more likely that something has spoofed your messaging system within Facebook.

NeilM said:
This is likely to be a problem generated by a PC infected by koobface
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Definitely. Koobface only (currently) exists on PCs, not mobile devices.

NeilM said:
PC threats cannot infect/affect WinMo devices.
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Really? This is my experience with HTC HD2. I want to share it with you guys.
Because recently I connect my HD2 to a PC with XP OS, just wanted to print something (connected to PC'S USB, copy file and all that). And my device got really slow after that.
The next day, I got curious and run a scan (Kaspersky 2010) from my notebook, connected to my HD2. Whoa...., it's trojan everywhere... Furthermore, I think I still have virus in my HD2 (it is located in storage card).
The folder's name: COLD; sub-folder: HOTT. I forgot the content inside HOTT, but some guy used this technique of moving this virus folder into an empty folder named AUTORUN.INF in a storage card to prevent further infection in the system. He said we have to create a new folder for this, but AUTORUN.INF has been there since I scan my HD2 long ago with Kaspersky.
I don't know about other HD2 users, but I still have that COLD folder. I tried to move it to AUTORUN.INF folder, but it strangely persisted to stay in my storage card. For some reasons I don't understand, the files in HOTT sub-folder were gone. And when I check into AUTORUN.INF, the COLD folder and the HOTT sub-folder are also there with the content of HOTT sub-folder gone.
Now, I'm still considering whether to hard-reset my device once and for all.

LeeMC79 said:
From all my browsing on here recently, on not one occasion have I seen Anti Virus / anti malware tools mentioned.
I have a bit of a blackspot in my thinking on this - is it recommended / necessary to have such tools on Windows Mobiles? What do people do to protect their HD2s?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use LookOut Mobile on my HD2 & Nexus1

I had lookout on my Nexus One for peace mind but it only "protected" my phone from a malicious app that I might install.
I don't have nearly as many applications available on WinMo so there's no reason for me to have anti-virus since I have so few applications.
- Bing
- Opera Mobile
- Skype
- Skyfire
- Total Commander
- CoPilot
- Omarket
- cleanRAM
- WiFi Toggler
All these apps came from trusted sources so I'm not worried at all. Any trouble and I wouldn't have any reservations about resetting my phone back to factory settings though.

It is quite possible that a virus on your PC may have copied over files to the HD2's SD card while it was in disk mode. this is no different than a virus coping files to a floppy or usb flash drive to try and infect the next host that they are plugged/inserted into the PC and the PC autoruns the drive.
Just because a virus infected file is sitting on the HD2's SD card does not mean the HD2 is actively infected, ie processes are running that are sending out junk to your contacts, key logging, damaging/infecting other file, etc.
As far as i know there are no viruses out in the wild for winmobile, putting AV software on it is likely a waste of money and battery/resources. Youre probably more likely to find a virus on the android or jailbroken iphone platforms, than youll ever find them on win mobile

NeilM said:
Antivirus/Antimalware is not currently necessary in WinMo devices. It simply drains resources protecting against threats that don't exist.
Viruses are unlikely as the OS is in ROM (unlike PCs where the OS is just another set of user files) and malware has yet to reach WinMo in any real form though it has been produced in the labs of some AV developers. The difference is that malware needs to be positively accepted on the device to install- it can't install silently due to the way the OS works.
Your choice at the end of the day, but PC threats cannot infect/affect WinMo devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although your base OS is in ROM, Patches and upgrades are in memory if installed afterwards.
Removing can be simple: Hard reset, Format SD, apply patches, install software.
But this will take a lot of time.
At the moment the threat is (very) low. Main reason beeing that messaging is very tight (no automatic downloads).
I do not use antivirus, I use PDA's allready for 12 years (from Palm trough Ipaq to HTC phones). About 6 years ago Antimalware was a small hype, I went along for a moment.
This resulted in almost unusable PDA, very bad battery life. So I abandoned. Over the last 6 years, without Antivirus, just sensible use (no roaming on unknown WIFI, not visiting risky sites) I have never had any virus contamination.
So Honestly: Antivirus on HD2 is a bit scareware.
Also over the last 6 years (since first virus in 2004) the number of virusses are minimal. Most virusses are also just for one OS (so a virus on winmo5 does not work on winmo 6.5)
In my opinion: acceptable risks.
Just my two cents

hd2 virus
I do feel assured and feel relieved about not instllng anather app that htc company not included. After all, there is a reason for them not including any such apps about virus protection.

Windows PC virus cannot run on windows mobile as ARM is not x86 compatable. In order for a virus to infect a HD2 it has to be written specifically for that OS and CPU combination.
If you present your phone as a hdd to your computer then it is possible for a virus to get on the phone but it will not run on the phone due to different OS and CPU.
It is, however, still possible to infect another PC via the phone since you can still present your phone as a hdd to the host PC and the virus is uploaded when the host accesses the phone's storage.