A computer bug bearing the name of the controversial film The Da
Vinci Code has affected dozens of mobile phones and laptops,
Daijiworld.com reports.
The virus, which spreads via wireless Bluetooth technology,
causes a message to pop up on Bluetooth devices: 'Receive message
via Bluetooth from Da Vinci Code? '.
Once a curious mobile phone user accepts the message, the
virus enters the system and destroys the phone's data while a
picture depicting an eye and a cross appears on the desktop and
phone's gallery.
"Once a phone is affected, formatting is the only option. You
cannot retrieve your data," a software expert said.
Its been confirmed The Da Vinci Code is bad for you. The virus,
that is. A computer bug bearing the controversial films name has
affected dozens of mobile phones and laptops in the city.
This image appears on the desktop and photo gallery of infected
phones
A picture depicting an eye and a cross appears on the desktop and
phones gallery.
System crash
Mridul Sharma (32), an operations manager at an event management
firm, received the virus during a corporate presentation a few days
ago. The Da Vinci Code name
actually excited me. I assumed the file was either an MMS clipping
or a still and accepted it.
My entire system collapsed and data was
deleted. I had just bought my Nokia N91 handset worth Rs
31,000 and had to pay Rs 1,500 to format my mobile hard disk and
reload the software, said Sharma.
Common virus
I received the virus on my laptop and phone. Apparently my
Bluetooth device was active. The technician who repaired my phone
told me this was a common virus, which had simply been renamed The
Da Vinci Code to attract the users, said 35-year-old Sanjay
Menon.
Abhishek Datta, a software expert, said, Once a phone is affected,
formatting is the only option. You cannot retrieve your
data.
Types of viruses
Skulls: A Trojan horse called Skulls, once downloaded, replaces all
phone desktop icons with images of a skull
Comwar: A worm that spreads vis MMSes and Bluetooth. It infects
devices running under Symbian pperating system
Duts: The first known virus for the Pocket PC platform. It attempts
to infect all EXE files in the current directory
Tips on staying safe from the deadly virus
- Be careful when accepting files via Bluetooth
- Delete messages from unknown senders
- Reinstall infected programmes
- Download ringtones and games from official websites only
