F-Secure, SmartTrust partner on mobile security

SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - F-Secure Corp. and SmartTrust AB have reached a partnership designed to deliver antivirus software to mobile devices, the companies said.

F-Secure's antivirus software will be incorporated into SmartManage Protect, a mobile security platform from SmartTrust that allows mobile operators to manage antivirus software on subscriber handsets over the air. If mobile operators detect a vulnerability, antivirus software from F-Secure can be delivered, according to the companies.

The process is similar to the way a consumer might automatically download regular antivirus updates to a laptop, said Tim De Luca-Smith, communications manager for SmartTrust. Using SmartManage Protect, regular antivirus updates can be delivered, and antivirus subscriptions can be transferred between handsets if a user changes one through device detection software, Smith said.

The cost of a mobile antivirus service has not been determined, Smith said. SmartTrust has met with "four or five" large mobile operators that are planning to start antivirus services within the next 12 months to 16 months, he said.

It's expected that mobile devices will increasingly come under attack from viruses, Smith said, especially handsets with Wi-Fi cards that connect to public networks and then back on organizational networks. Other services on mobile phones that might make them more vulnerable include the ability to open e-mail attachments and removable storage cards, Smith said.

F-Secure, which produces antivirus and intrusion prevention services and software, is based in Helsinki. SmartTrust, based in Stockholm, focuses on mobile phone service platforms.