Comments on: Symbian accidentally certifies worm http://www.telecoms.com/12847/symbian-accidentally-certifies-worm/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=symbian-accidentally-certifies-worm telecoms.com is the leading provider of global news, comment and analysis for the telecommunications industry Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:52:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.6 By: Rick Wills http://www.telecoms.com/12847/symbian-accidentally-certifies-worm/comment-page-1/#comment-3963 Rick Wills Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:47:17 +0000 http://www.telecoms.com/?p=12847#comment-3963 Users will click through any notifications on a cell phone just like they do in Windows. Users will click through any notifications on a cell phone just like they do in Windows.

]]> By: Larry Larmor http://www.telecoms.com/12847/symbian-accidentally-certifies-worm/comment-page-1/#comment-3955 Larry Larmor Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:17:15 +0000 http://www.telecoms.com/?p=12847#comment-3955 Symbian's approach is wrong headed. Their assumption is that applications can be tested sufficiently enough to avoid planned or acidental viruses / malicious code / etc. and then signed. However (a) as this experience has shown, determined app writers can always get apps signed (b) in any case, users may not care about teh app being signed or who actually signed it. A better approach would be to make the symbian OS more resilient / customer alerting. For example, like MS windows does, ask teh user "Are you happy with this application reading entries from your address book" and "Confirm you wish this application to send the text message as follows. Many Nokia phones actually come with an application called "download" which covertly sends text messages that cost money, or sign you up to subscription services. I suspect many users are unaware of what is happening. Make them more aware and more alert. Symbian’s approach is wrong headed. Their assumption is that applications can be tested sufficiently enough to avoid planned or acidental viruses / malicious code / etc. and then signed.

However (a) as this experience has shown, determined app writers can always get apps signed (b) in any case, users may not care about teh app being signed or who actually signed it.

A better approach would be to make the symbian OS more resilient / customer alerting. For example, like MS windows does, ask teh user “Are you happy with this application reading entries from your address book” and “Confirm you wish this application to send the text message as follows.

Many Nokia phones actually come with an application called “download” which covertly sends text messages that cost money, or sign you up to subscription services. I suspect many users are unaware of what is happening. Make them more aware and more alert.

]]> By: iPhone App Developer http://www.telecoms.com/12847/symbian-accidentally-certifies-worm/comment-page-1/#comment-3953 iPhone App Developer Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:59:13 +0000 http://www.telecoms.com/?p=12847#comment-3953 So, it's out there and Symbian have no way of stopping it. Symbian's sloppiness is bad news for all smart phone users not just Symbian users. And whilst the human error aspect is forgiveable not having an effective way to revoke approval isn't. So, it’s out there and Symbian have no way of stopping it.
Symbian’s sloppiness is bad news for all smart phone users not just Symbian users.
And whilst the human error aspect is forgiveable not having an effective way to revoke approval isn’t.

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