“SMishing” – the Newest Cell Threat

First came e-mail spam and cons started “phishing” for personal information. Next, scammers latched onto VOIP technology and started “vishing” via phone calls placed over the Internet. Their latest trick: “smishing,” a term coined in 2006 that combines “phishing” with Short Message Service (SMS), the technology used to transmit text messages over cellular devices.

Smishing sounds a bit like “smooching” but to a cell phone user, it could be the kiss of death. Smishing messages sent to mobile phones often contain links to Web sites where victims are prompted to enter personal information or download dangerous software.

Last year, cell phone users in Australia and Iceland received messages that stated, “We’re confirming you've signed up for our dating service. You will be charged $2/day unless you cancel your order.” Fearful of incurring premium rates on their cell phone bill, some consumers visited the Web site included in the message then unwittingly downloaded software that turned their PCs into zombies, allowing them to be controlled by hackers.

Cell phones with Internet access are especially at risk. By clicking on a link in a smishing message, you can unknowingly allow a hacker to steal your personal information, activate your phone’s camera or even listen in on your private cell phone conversations. In some cases, these programs can send fake messages to people in a phone’s contact list.

Last year, techies discovered a Trojan horse program that pretended to access Web pages but instead sent SMS messages to premium-rate phone numbers -- costing the cell phone user. Another message offered victims free antivirus software for their phone, supposedly from their mobile service provider. Users that downloaded the software from the link were infected with malware.

Your chance of catching one of these cell bugs is still less than a virus that spreads between personal computers. But it’s important to think before you click.

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