The virus then replicates itself to other PalmOS applications. They played down the risks and offered patches within hours for users to download. Someone claiming to have found the virus on a website alerted the companies to its existence, so it is not certain the malicious program is really on the loose. But it is interesting because it is the first virus that specifically targets the Palm platform. These handheld devices are becoming legitimate targets - it is a foretaste.
Any handheld device running the Palm operating system is potentially at risk.
This includes machines made by Palm itself, as well as HandSpring, Symbol, TRG, and Sony. But the so-called Liberty trojan, which never got into the wild, had no way of replicating or spreading itself. In that sense, Phage marks something of a step up. It is capable of spreading from one Palm application to another. It can also spread from one machine to another if infected files are shared via infrared beaming or installed via a docking station.