While the virus problem in the PC world is is already known,
viruses are also becoming an increasing threat for Austrian mobile
phone users. With new connection media coming available in recent
years such as email, downloads and Bluetooth wireless technology,
mobile phones have become increasingly vulnerable. According
to F-Secure, there are now more than 200 mobile viruses in
circulation. The research organization IDC estimates that by 2008
the market for mobile security software will grow yearly 70% to a
volume of around 1 billion USD. Mobile phones with open operating
systems like Symbian and Windows, which represent half of the
Austrian market for mobile models, are particularly at risk. Mobile
viruses are able to propagate through MMS or Bluetooth using
techniques that fool the recipient, often with the text and sender
known to the receiver. The damage caused by mobile viruses so far
extends from the loss of data to damaging the device hardware.
The most notorious viruses, for example, CommWarrior have never
broken through into the ONE network. All MMS messages containing
viruses which are sent through the ONE network or get into ONE’s
network, are automatically blocked. This measure does not, however,
replace the need for using antivirus software in the device because
network scanning only filters the most common viruses. In
co-operation with F-Secure, the leading provider of mobile
securilty software, ONE will start to offer its subscribers
F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus for mobile devices exclusively in
Austria.
ONE CEO Michael Fried said: "Experts predict that mobile viruses
will develop at a very rapid pace just like PC viruses and within a
short time they will pose a serious problem for our customers. We
would like to offer our customers true added value with this
extensive measure. Offering the F-Secure solution is truly
effective protection that we as the only Austrian carrier are
offering to our customers." "We are delighted that ONE has selected
F-Secure to deliver its mobile antivirus service to its millions of
customers," says Pekka Kuusela, Executive Vice President, Sales and
Marketing Director at F-Secure. "We truly believe in the importance
of acting now to institute protection for the growing mobile threat
and ONE’s forward thinking and groundbreaking approach will
undoubtedly benefit all its customers in Austria," he added.
ONE customers are able to download the software either from ONE’s
mobile portal or by visiting the customer service section under
www.one.at where customers can
send F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus with an SMS message directly onto
their mobile devices. After downloading the software, customers can
easily install the solution onto their Smartphone/PDA. After the
end of the first free trial-month customers receive a message on
their device displays. It allows customer to easily continue
the trial as a subscription service. After accepting the payable
antivirus service, customers will receive a monthly Premium-SMS
message which costs 2€ per month and is added to the customers
phone bill. Unsubscribing from the service is possible at any time
with a one month period of notice.
ONE advises its customers to use Bluetooth only when needed and
to deactivate the option "visible to other devices" if the feature
is not needed. If a mobile device is being attacked with a
Bluetooth virus the user should move away from the potential
attacker. Users should also avoid downloading software from
untrusted sources and installing it onto their devices. Downloading
a mobile antivirus software such as F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus is
recommended in any case. For more information go to:
www.one.at/handy-virenschutz
About F-Secure Corporation
F-Secure Corporation protects consumers and businesses
against computer viruses and other threats from the Internet and mobile
networks. We want to be the most reliable provider of security services in the
market. One way to demonstrate this is the speed of our response. According to
independent studies in 2004, 2005 and 2006 our response time to new threats is
significantly faster than our major competitors. Our award-winning solutions are
available for workstations, gateways, servers and mobile phones. They include
antivirus and desktop firewall with intrusion prevention, antispam and
antispyware solutions, as well as network control solutions for Internet Service
Providers. Founded in 1988, F-Secure has been listed on the Helsinki Exchanges
since 1999, and has been consistently growing faster than all its publicly
listed competitors. F-Secure headquarters are in Helsinki, Finland, and we have
regional offices around the world. F-Secure protection is also available as a
service through major ISPs, such as France Telecom, TeliaSonera, PCCW and
Charter Communications. F-Secure is the global market leader in mobile phone
protection provided through mobile operators, such as T-Mobile and Swisscom and
mobile handset manufacturers such as Nokia. The latest real-time virus threat
scenario news are available at the F-Secure Data Security Lab weblog at http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/
About ONE
In October 1998, the communications company ONE (ONE GmbH)
launched Austria’s only nationwide GSM-1800 mobile telephony
network. At the end of September 2005, ONE had about 900 employees
and approximately 1.7 million network customers. ONE has placed its
focus on innovative products and services. ONE is the only mobile
telephony operator in Austria to offer a free voicemail box, and
with ABS it offers the first real cost control service for private
post-paid customers as well as in the business sector with the
private mobile branch exchange, which forms a more flexible and
inexpensive alternative to the fixed line. Since 2004 ONE has been
focusing on music and is the pioneer when it comes to downloading
musical pieces in full length at
www.ladezone.at. With
LoungeFM ONE presents the first mobile digital radio worldwide
exclusively for UMTS-enabled handsets. ONE has a population
coverage of 98% as well as a banking licence for its 100%
subsidiary ONE Bank GmbH forming the basis of mobile payment
applications. Turnover in 2004 amounted to € 705 million. By the
end of 2004, the company had invested a total of app. €1.81
billion. ONE is owned by the German E.ON (50.10%), the Norwegian
Telenor (17.45%), the French Orange (17.45%) and the Danish TDC
(15%).
For more information please contact:
Petra Jakob,
Tel: 01/27728-0,
E-Mail:
petra.jakob@one.at
Or go to the website:
www.one.at/presse/
Anton von Troyer, Marketing Manager
Product marketing and channel development
Mobile: +358 (0)40 5808 670
Email:
firstname.von.lastname@f-secure.com
