Cell phones are "hot" these days. We all know that!

Who doesn’t want a phone with the option to take pictures, send movies to one another, and connect to the Internet to check e-mail? Phones are getting smarter and more beautiful every day. The sky is the limit!

What’s wrong with this, you’ll probably think?

Nothing really. Well, not only are the phones getting smarter, scam artists have now learned how to hack into your phone.

During the last couple of months, there have been discoveries of five different cell phone viruses. What?

Yup, you heard me right… Cell phone viruses!

Every time you download cool screensavers, ring tones and other wicked gadgets on your cell phone, you could be opening yourself up for "Trojan horses" and "Worms."

These hazards can take over your cell phone’s operating system and cause damage. For instance, the viruses can disable your phone—prohibiting the sending and reading of text messages. Access to a phone's contact lists and calendars will be similarly affected.

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The most well known Trojan horse is "Skulls," which, if downloaded, changes all the phone's icons into skulls and crossbones, and causes the phone to malfunction.

Pretty much all phones are at risk, from phones that have the option to send text messages, to the newest smart phones. New phones with the Symbian operating system (the leading manufacturer of mobile phone operating systems) are especially vulnerable.

Although the possibility of getting a Trojan horse is not that great, it is a growing threat. According to an employee of Gartner, a technology research firm, cell phone viruses in 2006 will be what Internet viruses are now.

Cell phone manufacturers see the new threat of viruses, and are starting to make anti-virus software. All new Nokia phones have already been provided with internal virus scanning software, and more manufacturers are expected to follow.

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What to do if you have a phone virus?
For now, there are no real solutions for cell phone viruses, other than restoring your phone to manufacturer’s settings. That basically means you lose all your stored information.

Don’t become a victim yourself — make sure you have your personal information backed-up somewhere else besides your phone.

And make sure you keep up-to-date when it comes to cell phone viruses by checking in with us regularly. You haven’t heard the last about this, that’s for sure!

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