Samsung Wave smartphones shipped with malware

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Samsung has shipped smartphones with memory cards containing malware.

In some of the affected Samsung S8500 devices, the 1GB microSD card that comes with the device contains a piece of malware that can automatically start-up once the device is plugged into a Windows PC.

Those microSD cards containing aUtoRuN.iNF and slmsrv.exe files are most likely infected, according to Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at security vendor Sophos.

“If you haven't configured your Windows computer to ignore the autorun command, then when you plug the card into your PC the malicious slmsrv.exe file will be executed,” Cluley explained in a blog post.

Samsung claimed that only the S8500 Wave smartphones from the initial production run shipped to Germany are affected. Samsung would not confirm the exact number of infected devices.

Devices sent to the UK should be free from infection, Samsung said.

Cluley said that when he tried to find information on the malware incident from the German Samsung website, he could not find anything.

"[This] does beg the question as to how potential victims in the country are supposed to be informed about the issue”, he said. “The lesson is simple, folks - scan everything that you plug into your computer for malware, even if it has been freshly bought from a reputable vendor."

Samsung is not the only tech company to send out malware on its devices. In May, IBM did the same with USB sticks in Australia.

"This is an isolated issue that took place solely in the German market," said Samsung in a statement. "All products currently available on the market have been tested and are perfectly safe for use. This problem does not and did not affect the UK."

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