14 DAY TRIAL // Once again, it's that mirthful time of the year when we see security no-threats being turned into the attack of the 50-foot virus. Those who do not have their tinfoil caps firmly in place should put them on, for we face the first ever iPod virus.
The little bugger was apparently discovered by Kaspersky Lab, and is called Potloso.
"The virus is a file which can be launched and run on an iPod. It should be stressed that in order for the virus to function, Linux has to be installed on the iPod. If the virus is installed to the iPod by the user, the virus then installs itself to the folder which contains program demo versions. Podloso cannot be launched automatically without user involvement," Kaspersky Labs reports. "Once launched, the virus scans the device's hard disk and infects all executable .elf format files. Any attempt to launch these files will cause the virus to display a message on the screen which says 'You are infected with Oslo the first iPodLinux Virus.'"
Already some have jumped on the wagon, and are talking about "the very first iPod virus," and warning users to be on the lookout. While it may be able to jump so high, and have big teeth, looking at the bones tells a different story.
For one thing, Apple does not sell any iPod with Linux on it, so any regular user will never ever be at risk from poor Podloso; for another, you have to actually manage to infect yourself because the thing is unable to spread. There is no potential data loss, since only executable files are targeted, so in a worst-case scenario, you're looking at reinstalling the programs.
"Podloso has no malicious payload, and does not present a real threat; it simply demonstrates that it is, theoretically possible to create malicious programs for such devices," Kaspersky Labs reports.