It's a mobile security catch-22. Taking to heart the criticism that handheld computers are a security hazard, more than half a dozen antivirus software makers have recently released applications that prevent malicious code from entering corporate networks via mobile devices. Yet what some would praise as foresight, others are criticizing as overly fierce marketing. In fact, the flood of new software has several security researchers arguing that the antivirus companies are hyping what is currently a minimal threat and that the software, rather than helping, is highlighting insecurities in the devices. The problem, he said, is that no truly dangerous virus or Trojan horse has yet been created for mobile devices, making antivirus software for them simply protection for the paranoid.
Some security experts say the antivirus companies are leaning toward hype.
There's no way to predict when the next virus will occur. At present, however, only a handful of digital viruses have targeted handhelds. A month later, researchers at two antivirus companies discovered the first virus, called Phage 1.0, that infects programs on Palm devices. The virus would infect all the programs on a Palm whenever the infected program ran. Those viruses largely failed.