1 reply to this topic

[pookiecheeks]

hello all,
i'm not sure if i've been wise and sensible, or a fool who's rushed it etc. can pocket pcs get viruses ? is a firewall on a pocket pc needed ? i'm asking because i've just paid out $58 on airscanner's security bundle. anyone have any opinions on it ?


other software i have includes:-
spb -  pocketplus, diary, finance, weather, time, tips & tricks, arkaball
handmark -  scrabble, trivial pursuit, monopoly
visualit -   tube2 london streets, tube2 gb road atlas, tube2 london congestion charge
agilemessenger

thank you for any response.


pookie

Edited by pookiecheeks, 16 February 2006 - 09:51 PM.

[fraser]

There are no known viruses on the Pocket PC. There is a proof-of-concept but no real ones. Risk is relatively low; most viruses require a large number of potential victims to spread. The Pocket PC is pretty obscure. When was the last time your pocket pc communicated directly (not phone/sms) with another Pocket PC? That's the common way to spread nowadays. It's the same reason Apple have never had a big virus problem. Lets say a Mac virus mails 20 friends in an attempt to spread, how many have Macs to continue the infection? Not many!

Firewall is a maybe. I scanned mine and found no open ports. When you connect to ActiveSync, it opens one. Other applications may use listening ports as required. It's these that a firewall protects, so it may be worth it someday. I'm not too bothered at the moment.