Security experts in F-Secure organization, one of the worlds’s leading IT security providers, has detected new class-zero-message tool. Is a ‘Silent Ping’ tool, called HushSMS, that finds out if somebody's phone is on or off, without the alerting the phone’s owner. HushSMS tool exploits a vulnerability in Windows Mobile 5 and 6 based PocketPCs. It lets attacker to send a special formed message (class zero message), aka Flash-SMS or PING message, to another mobile phone. The message is discarded on the owner’s phone and no trace exists. The sender will get back a message from the operator that their message has been delivered, thus knowing that the phone is switched on. Chief Research Officer, Mikko Hypponen, explains that HushSMS tool is not illegal, so someone with the wrong intentions can use them to monitor someone’s mobile phone usage and potentially steal personal information. Another mobile spying tool that is openly available on the Internet is FlexiSpy. It allows a user to eavesdrop on someone’s mobile phone conversations, read text messages and even remotely turn on the microphone. Complete story can be read at PCWorld web site.
