Hundreds affected with malicious mobile phone virus (will you be safe from it?)

Posted by Simpur | Posted in , , | Posted on Tuesday, March 24, 2009

As mobile phones are becoming more and more popular nowadays, they have become a great target for irresponsible virus programmers who either do it for fun, or use them as tools for advertising and spamming (with you forking the bill).

DSTCom recently learnt that 800 of their subscribers were infected by the 'Hati-Hati' mobile phone virus, which caused traffic congestion in their network due to its continuous spamming. The virus makes multiple calls and sends SMS without the subscriber knowing, resulting in service delays for them, and the possibility of getting high phone bills.

DSTCom advised the affected subscribers to reformat their phones within a week, or will have to take necessary action by either charging them for the SMS and calls their phones make or suspending their SMS services.

Will you be safe? Find out more about the 'Hati-Hati' virus, and make sure your phone doesn't get infected..


1. What is the ‘Hati-Hati’ worm virus?
This is a self-replicating Trojan that causes mobile handsets to send high volumes of SMS to international or unknown numbers without the owner’s knowledge. In some instances, DSTCom has detected handsets spamming up to 40,000 times an hour.

2. What handsets are affected by the virus?
Handsets having Symbian OS are found to be more prone to having the ‘Hati-Hati’ virus. Handsets with file folder applications or memory card capabilities are also unsafe from the virus.

3. How does a handset get infected by ‘Hati-Hati’?
There are a number of ways this could happen. The following are but a few examples:
a) Downloading of files, pictures or tunes from untrustworthy sites
b) File-sharing via exchange of memory card, blue-tooth or infra-red
c) Buying already infected 2nd hand handsets

4. What I do if my handset is infected by ‘Hati-Hati’?
Hati-Hati gives very little indications that it has infected your handset and this adds to its dangerous nature. Subscribers of networks affected by SPAM SMS may experience a lesser quality of service, for example:
a) Delays in receiving or sending SMS
b) Network congestion when attempting to make calls
c) Slower broadband speed
d) Shorter battery life of the handset itself.

If you suspect your handset of being infected or if you receive a notification from DST that your hand-set is infected, you should take prompt action by formatting your handset and/or the memory card attached to the hand-set.

To protect its valued subscribers and to ensure quality of service is maintained, DST is obliged to remove the outgoing SMS service from all affected subscribers.

(Hati-Hati Virus Information provided by DSTCom)

Comments (40)

hahaha. sukati drg tukar nama virus to "hati-hati" virus.

hahahaha... baik jua inda "jaga-jaga" virus....

Thats a new virus...I dont know since when hp boleh tekana jangkitan virus, ahahaha I thought only the computer/laptop infected by virus.
Next time I will installs AVG in my hp, hahaha.
Thanks for sharing anyway...

My hp tekana this virus few days ago and i have to format my hp.. All number dalam phonebook pun hilang..

Yakah... baik jua tau... Thanks For the Info

hati hati virus......eh hati pon ada virus..beware of hati buyah..hati kama..hati ayam..next virus

humph, i've been infected by this viruses for 3 days ago. and dah format phone memory balik-balik! how many times should i format? memory card kali lagi di format nee? huhh! on that days, aku ada CALL 151 (DSTCARE) and she ask to type *#06#. And what should i do with it? is theres any kind enough to help me?! those anyone of you got INFECTED ad masane sudah hilang virusnya, PLEASE! MAIL ME NOW! payah message bahh! ne!! ;( mcmana klau ada emergency? tapi nda dpt send message, humph, please mail me at Numaru@live.com

since bila dis virus wujud?

bukan ganya laptop, pc, hp... manusia pun ada virus jua...

"The virus makes multiple calls and sends SMS without the subscriber knowing"

makes multiple calls and sending sms... so our credit kurang kah??? f credit kosong, still the virus sends sms.... buat multiple calls>???

f credit kosong, still the virus sends sms....

lapas top-up ya send lagi!!! dan lagi... dan lagi...

If you no longer have credit, it won't be able to send sms successfully, but will keep on trying to send until you have credit!

So try and make sure you don't have this virus on your phones!

aku dapat buang virusnya tanpa memformat hp...mun kn buang virus,datang ja rh skh sengkurong..kna charge $15 plang tu...virus ane bleh tkana rh hp nokia symbian series 60 version 1 & 2 ...rh 3rd,4th,5th edition nda dapat kana...so siapa-siapa rasanya hpnya n70,7610,6630,n-gage,n-gage qd,6680,6670 ,6600...bek th lakas dtg kmaie...daripada hp kna format na pedah2...ane buang virusnya saja...

mun kn tau kamu kana virus o enda,check rh c://system/mail pakai fileman o Xplore. mun tenampak file yang blakangnya .exe ,sah tah ada virus tu rh hp kamu

its what you called technology, when comes to broadcasting, connectivity. any possible things could happens, mobile phones ? its truly possible the viruses spread from user to another without you knowing it...
Solution ? get a better software and always up to date .. you can update through your mobile phone as well ... or final solution .. FORMAT ur cellphone .. cheers =)

I just format mine di incomm, $10 saja. my problem is after reformat atu takes another 2 days for DST to reconnect my SMS service.. Dapat kali di cepatkan tu ah..? I know DST boleeeh..

Sanang reformatting lah do it by your self sja nada byr lgi.Klu ada urg interested post sja me bgi code nya ok. Frm:muiz2006

Me kena jua.. Tapi format di OKVY and ku punya contact, media, game and application semua pun masih ada... tapi sama jua have to wait sampai 2 days baru dapat send sms..

THIS IS THE MOST LAMEST THING TO SAY.. "bring it to DST IF DETECT THIS VIRUS".... and really this isnt helpfull at all.. could please something helpfull like this website!!! www.ntc.net.np/mobile/alert.php

We don't know where you found the statement "bring it to DST IF DETECT THIS VIRUS", because we have never asked anyone to bring their phones to DST but take steps to remove the virus themselves or by bringing them to a place that specializes in removing such viruses.

Thank you however, for the website link (www.ntc.net.np/mobile/alert.php) as it does heave some useful tips.

spray shelltok sja hp ah...

Baik bwa binjek hp kmu ah.. Krg kjgktn virus babi g, Skt kpla kmu krg cnakn f0rmat

if hp model lama, ada possibility kana juakah? My E71 alhamdulillah no prob..but my 6120 classic atu yg bagi heran.my bill always mlambung & overlimit saja.di tanya k DST nya byk pmakaian..hello?? I mean,is that possible? once I was charged over 500 in just a week,when at that moment I wasnt even in Brunei, d oversea pun I turned off my line atu,prefer use line dsana saja,budgeting ckit bh..but they said i've been using it..

any idea? 4 info my hp is lock all the time,there's no way ppl bleh pakai sukati :(

I think it's not just DST .. b.mobile as well and credits been eaten, i just had it today and i top up it and it lost like 4 dollars of credit! D=<

green~im 1 of da victim of da virus ah..sudah d format den kana lagi sasak jua ku tu..den till nw ku biarkan saja..$30 x ah kn format..within 2 week kna g cana kn tu???

people are laughing now, tapi udah tekena bill mahal krg tuduh DST charge labih labih. Nda kan mau membayar tia tu.Bila udah service lag and delay di ucap service DST nda bagus.

Err.. sometimes you can also get viruses when you are transferring files from you computer to your memory card and then into your phone. What's best is you should constantly scan your computers for viruses. To be honest, I prefer using Nod Anti-Virus, its definitely a reliable anti virus but you have to update it all the time. Anyway, always scan your computer and memory cards each time you put it in and out of your computers.

Anonymous Said,
July 2, 2009 8:08 PM

if hp model lama, ada possibility kana juakah? My E71 alhamdulillah no prob..but my 6120 classic atu yg bagi heran.my bill always mlambung & overlimit saja.di tanya k DST nya byk pmakaian..hello?? I mean,is that possible? once I was charged over 500 in just a week,when at that moment I wasnt even in Brunei, d oversea pun I turned off my line atu,prefer use line dsana saja,budgeting ckit bh..but they said i've been using it..

any idea? 4 info my hp is lock all the time,there's no way ppl bleh pakai sukati :(
...............................................
Awu smatah tani tu. Baru semingguku byr bill,tarus tia kna barred. Skli dtg bill bru2 ani kan sampai $400. Aku ani msg jua ganya,jrg skli kan nepon. Sampai ani alumku mengactivate balek line ku atu. Takutku kna charge lage nda pedah2.... Ingat usin ani gugur dri langit kali.

nada cara lain kah bagi pihak DST untuk mengelakkan daripada berlakunya perkara tersebut?

Pengumuman-pengumuman siapa yang punya hp terkena virus yang DST block sending sms.. I know the solution.. hp nokia user yang s60v1 & v2 mudah terkena virus ini.. But, lucky for nokia user s60v3, v4, v5..

hahahx g watir virus ani bah ntah2 suk lusa nma virus nya "U Won"

virus 'hati-hati',ada g yg baru, virus 'intabih' (AWAS dlm bhasa arab)..hahaha snang sj mformat,f dkdai biasanya $30,f mau format code nya,cek sj rh internet,bkn stakat format hp,mcm2 ada..mls ku gto sni,pslnya brg free slalu nda kna hargai,so cari sndiri..ehehe Salaaam...

by switching of your bluetooth can avoid the transfer of the virus...

I sill have problems with my phone. When I try to connect to the internet or make phone calls, the virus will press random buttons, and even tries to disconnect me from the internet. What's more annoying is, it has disconnected me from a few phone calls, and rejected most calls I have received.

I found out that, it only happens when I'm using my DST simcard. When I used my brother's simcard, it worked just fine.

Is it possible that my simcard has been infected a virus?

Anonymous Said on August 6, 2009 9:26 AM

nada cara lain kah bagi pihak DST untuk mengelakkan daripada berlakunya perkara tersebut?


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Haha cali jua ah kadang2 orang brunei mengomen ani.. Mau tia lagi kan betanya arah DST tu.

It's like those viruses you get on your computer, do you call espeed up and complain to them that you're getting viruses?

Whatever you do with your phone is all your own fault and not bmobile, dst or telbru's fault. You must have been transferring files that have been infected by viruses, you might have been installing 'free' software that have viruses, or you might have been surfing to websites on your mobile that you're not supposed to be surfing to ;)

Dont blame the service provider and make sure you take care of your own phone :)

Jangan kn tepun nokia, sony eric.P900/P990 series pun kana ani bah...msg btalu2 sending...skli tanyakn sistem ok kah nda??kata durg (DST operator) oknya..dcetakan th masalah msg btalu2 atu,kata durg sistem ok,brg x tepun biskita tu.then sabar..format tepuh apa udah masih lagi...skli masih lagi sending msg balik2 ada 300 sms,atu baru sorg...klu 20 org cana...pikir kn tia,msg balik2 atu...brapakn tu byarannya...***tkana time2 raya 2008,greeting raya lah***sklinya catu kjadiannya...batah jua dah tu...baru kn btindak ka???MCMANA TAH PENYELESAINYA TU?????ANY GOOD SOLUTION BESIDE FORMAT...etc..bla..bla.???

Last2 tutup line..abis ceta,daripada mbayar bill mlambung....sakit ja kpala...

Iatah inda paham tu usulnya kita atu.. FORMAT SAJA BAH! Apa payahnya? Komputer kita atu ber virus inda jua kita marahi espeed.. Yang banarnya bukan masalah dst bah tu.. masalah kita sendiri bah tu.. inda pandai menjaga telipun kita sendiri..

Bah ok tq bye.

extreme ehh =p

Masa ane,anti-virus apa yang bagus

atu banaaaaa bahaya tu ehhhh

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