Nokia Finds Answer to Bug, Seeks Operators’ Help

Nokia has urged network operators to assist in covering an exploit reported yesterday, here at PhoneReport. The flaw, named SMS Curse of Silence, is targetted by an SMS  sent to a phone, containing a code that disables the phone's Messaging system.

Phones currently found to be affected are the ones running Symbian UIQ platform, Symbian S60 2nd Edition Feature Packs 2 and 3, 3rd Edition and 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1.

F-Secure has released a fix, but not for free. Nokia should start working on a firmware that would fix the flaw, but as Mark Durant from Nokia’s head office says, “That it is not an effective solution. Many users do upgrade their firmware, but many do not.”

According to reports, T-Mobile Netherlands was "happy" to comply with the request, which blocks SMSes containing email addresses with more than 32 characters.

Furthermore, Nokia did not disclose which operators it has contacted, or which have complied.

[via Unwired View, Darla Mack, Tweakers]

[Image: Conita]