Malicious software, or malware, is becoming an even bigger threat to sophisticated electronic devices than computer viruses. In an effort to raise awareness about the vulnerabilities of mobile devices and the need for better protection software, scientists at Rutgers University in New Jersey have shown how malware can be used to turn certain cell phone features, such as the GPS, microphone, and even the battery, against their users.

Rootkits Vs. Viruses

The malware that the computer scientists at Rutgers used to gain access to and manipulate certain functions of a cell phone came in the form of what is called a rootkit. Rootkits are often times more harmful to systems than viruses are because, unlike a virus, which is essentially a very small program that runs on a computers operating system, a rootkit will actually replace a part of the operating system. This fundamental aspect makes a rootkit much more difficult to detect and remove than most viruses.

Potential Dangers

By using the rootkit they developed and then loaded onto a cell phone, the scientists were essentially able to spy on whoever was using the phone. They were able to track the location of the phone through its GPS system, listen in on conversations by switching on the phone's microphone, and even drain the phone's battery by activating hardware like Bluetooth and the GPS receiver which both tend to use a lot of power.

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