The latest virus, CommWarrior was identified on March 7, and presents the biggest threat as it can spread via MMS. The other viruses are transmitted solely through Bluetooth, which is limiting the rate of infection as phones need to within Bluetooth range for the virus to spread.

Ericsson’s security solutions provides a uniform, easy-to-manage and cost-effective security architecture that yields carrier-grade security. This ensures that the right security solutions are developed for post-3G mobile networks.

Ericsson partners with leading suppliers of security technologies such as firewalls and intrusion-detection systems, to give its customers technology that has been adapted to the special needs of mobile networks.

Aaron Davidson, CEO of New Zealand-based Simworks, says there was little interest when the company first released its anti-virus application for Symbian phones in June 2004. That all changed in December when the number of new threats increased threefold.

"A phone wants to communicate and viruses want to be communicated. It is a perfect environment for spreading viruses," Davidson says. He adds that mobile phones are more vulnerable than PCs. "A computer typically has a single entry port: the network connection. A phone has many: GSM, GPRS, Bluetooth, IR and so on."

Mobile viruses can also be spread through social engineering. Mosquitoes, which is classified as a "trojan horse" by virus companies, was simply a pirated version of a game downloaded from file-sharing sites. The pirated copies were older versions of the game that contained bug-ridden copyright protection that would send text (SMS) messages without the user's permission.

"Although we haven't yet seen a worm that does damage and also spreads, it's only a matter of time before someone creates a destructive virus that can also spread itself using MMS or WAP push," Davidson says.

The bottom line is that if the mobile network is not secure and cannot be trusted, then nobody will use it and operators will not receive any revenue. On the other hand, excessive security measures can easily have the same effect due to greater inconvenience.

Investment in security should be seen as more than a “life jacket” – greater security can mean greater value, which in turn, often results in greater income.

Read more about security in mobile networks here.