Though limited by bare-bones operating systems, handhelds are gaining in power and popularity, and sellers are avidly pushing devices that connect wirelessly to the Internet. A virus in Spain called Timofonica already attacked some cell phones. However, the antivirus software doesn't yet run on the handheld itself. Instead, it runs only on a desktop computer and scans the handheld device when files on the PC and handheld are synchronized, McGee said. That means the handheld is still open to virus transmission when it exchanges information directly with the Internet or with another handheld.
Some competitors believe antivirus software can be run on the gadgets themselves, though.
In other words, handhelds don't have enough memory or processing power to run full-fledged antivirus software. The silver lining, though, is that virus writers face the same limited environment when trying to create bugs. While handhelds don't suffer from known viruses, McAfee knows virus writers are turning their attention to the new environment, McGee said. The chief threat is that the handhelds will act as a conduit, transferring viruses from one desktop computer to another. But a person could transmit an infected file from one PC to another with the device.