Fee-deduction virus becomes rampant in Russia, with hazards drawing global attention

Recently, NetQin intercepted a mobile fee-deduction virus by the name of SmsBox.A1, which has been spread in large scale among Russian Smart phone users. After its operation, this virus will prompt the user to send SMS and link to pornographic website. In the process of operation, such virus will constantly send SMS to overseas SP (service providers who can provider SMS billing) and frequently pop up dialog boxes in mobile phone. With the tariff for single SMS being as high as 6 US dollars, this virus can seriously consume the user's tariff, bringing about significant economic loss to the user! This virus is mainly disseminated by means of mobile sites, with adult-oriented sites accounting for major part, such as:

h**p://a***x.su/igra.php

h**p://wapdo****.24.com1.ru/***11.jar

As introduced by NetQin, after accessing similar mobile site, a mobile phone will automatically download fee-deduction virus and the site will prompt the user to install it. After its instillation, bait icon will appear in the list of applications. Once the user has clicked it, the virus program will compel the mobile phone to send fee-deduction SMS and repeat this operation within certain period of time.

As disclosed by Russian insiders, such malicious fee-deduction virus has emerged as early as 2006 in Russia, and has started large-scale dissemination during the period from 2008 to 2009. At present, everyday there will be thousands of users who will passively download fee-deduction virus by accessing mobile sites. As calculated on the assumption that tariff of 6 US dollars is deducted per capita, revenue as high as tens of thousands of US dollars can be earned a day. That is to say, a black industry with annual income nearly 10 million US dollars is developing silently.

Facing such a cake with huge enticement, illegal companies have participated in this industry in succession. Ranging from virus production, spread to fee deduction, they have formed an extraordinary tacit industry chain, bringing about enormous potential risks to the mobile phone users all over the world.

It is learned that, merely in Russia there are nearly hundred of persons who are specially engaged in the development of such virus. In response to its continuous spread, NetQin shows that, the users do not have to worry about this virus so long as we can realize safety protection and timely virus killing. The users of NetQin Mobile Antivirus product can remove such virus thoroughly by upgrading virus database.