Virus FUD Spreads To iPods

from the what-now dept

Thu, Apr 5th 2007 4:19pm — Carlo Longino

Well-known anti-virus firm Kaspersky is no stranger to mobile malware FUD. While it usually is talking about mobile phones, the iPod is its latest target, as a post on its site proclaims "Kaspersky Lab discovers the first virus for iPod". That's a juicy headline, but the details really don't live up to the hype. The virus, called Podloso, only affects iPods whose owners have gone to the trouble of installing Linux on them, while the user also has to launch the virus themselves. Kaspersky admits it's nothing more than a proof of concept, and poses no real threat, so the headline might be technically accurate, but its awfully sensationalistic. How long before Kaspersky or another vendor starts selling firewalls and AV software for iPods?

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13 Comments

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Sanguine Dream, 5 Apr 2007 @ 4:58pm

Goodness...
why doesn't Kaspersky become medical drug company? At least there really are viruses (and other ailments) that are real threats the need to be addressed.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Apr 2007 @ 6:01pm

Re: Goodness...
I'm sure they'd find a virus that you only got if you injected it into your own skin, and only did anything to people who had lots of unnecessary surgery.
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DMM, 5 Apr 2007 @ 6:04pm

Not even technically accurate
An iPod is a combination of the hardware and the software. Once you install Linux on the hardware, the thing ceases to be an iPod at all.

The bottom line is that Kaspersky has flat out lied, and dummy news agencies (not Techdirt) have blindly picked up on the sensationalist headline.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Apr 2007 @ 6:42pm

"...only affects iPods whose owners have gone to the trouble of installing Linux on them"

Wow, that's so unfortunate for those 8 people in the world.
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Paul, 5 Apr 2007 @ 6:54pm

Kaspersky is actually a really decent company. Don't knock it.

The headline may have been made to grab attention, but they didn't lie.
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MKN, 5 Apr 2007 @ 7:11pm

Re:
Decent people don't do things to grab attention.
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Charles Griswold, 5 Apr 2007 @ 8:47pm

Re: Re:
Decent people don't do things to grab attention.

On the other hand, advertising is, by definition, an attempt to grab attention.

On the gripping hand, there are good and bad forms of advertising and creating sensationalist and misleading headlines is a bad form of advertising.

IMHO, of course.
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TheLeafer, 5 Apr 2007 @ 8:51pm

Pff
Thats why every needs to slap the upod hype bs out of them and go buy an Iriver Clix... Life would be soo much happier without ipods.
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Paul, 5 Apr 2007 @ 9:15pm

"I'm sure they'd find a virus that you only got if you injected it into your own skin"

So viruses that are only transferable through injection or direct body fluid are not worth finding?

Someone go tell all those labs to stop their AIDS research..
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What?, 5 Apr 2007 @ 9:22pm

Re: Paul
You are aware that HIV IS spread through "direct body fluid"
Just wondering?
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Butch T Cougar, 5 Apr 2007 @ 10:17pm

Re: Re: Paul
Yeah, he was being sarcastic, I'm sure Paul knows how HIV is spread.... ANYWAY... #4 you are exactly right. It may be a problem to a half dozen people, but who would go to the trouble of changing their iPod like that?? Just buy a PDA, it'd be cheaper than buying an expensive iPod.
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No Need, 5 Apr 2007 @ 10:48pm

Like Paul said, "Kaspersky is actually a really decent company". 95% of the people who read kaspersky's reports are techies who probably are interested in such proof on concept virus. That being said, I don't see ANYTHING sensational about the title chosen for the post ""Kaspersky Lab discovers the first virus for iPod".

How much more inoculates could the title have been?!
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B, 5 Apr 2007 @ 10:49pm

Linux
I installed iPod Linux on my iPod photo. It added some video capabilities among other things. Although, I would call the video capabilities "novelty" at best because they needed to be converted into a special format if I remember. Plus, watching a video harshly decreased by battery life.
I also installed Linux on my old black and white iPod Mini. I tried to watch a movie, but in the end, it was a worthless experience (except now I can tell everyone I can watch videos on my iPod Mini).

And in response to #3:
It is still an iPod even with Linux installed. It still retains all iPod functions with some added (or tweaked) ones.
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