# I think my cell phone just got hit by a virus
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-cell-phone-just-got-hit-by-a-virus/283797
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [January 8, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-cell-phone-just-got-hit-by-a-virus/283797 "2005-01-08T23:04:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-cell-phone-just-got-hit-by-a-virus/283797/1 "2005-01-08T23:04:34Z")
Perhaps it just broke, but it’s acting more like the software part went out. I can turn it on, but then the keypad freezes (can’t do anything, but the ‘on’ key worked, but now doesn’t ‘beep’), and the phone turns off in a few seconds. It just doesn’t go off, but does the normal power down off.
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### Author:  [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2005, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-cell-phone-just-got-hit-by-a-virus/283797/2 "2005-01-08T23:30:10Z")
I’m betting it’s not a virus, but some other mechanical problem. The only cell phone viruses that exist so far have existed in labs.
I doubt you would be the first person to receive one.
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2005, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-cell-phone-just-got-hit-by-a-virus/283797/3 "2005-01-09T00:01:02Z")
Interesting, I was able to connect to the internet w/ the phone, by turning it on, while connected to the phone\>USB cable and telling the computer to connect to the internet using the cellular connection. After disconecting from the net, but not the USB link I was able to use the keypad and dial out, and use verizons over the air programming, which seemed to fix the problem.
My phone seems to be working now.
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### Author:  [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2005, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-cell-phone-just-got-hit-by-a-virus/283797/4 "2005-01-09T17:15:01Z")
I’ve looked into mobile phone security a little for work, and while there’s plenty of websites claiming to offer mobile phone virus design toolkits (mostly auto-generated results), I’ve not heard of a mass phone virus _yet_. I’m pretty sure it’s not far away, mind.