Symantec announces mobile security software

By Janet Harris

Symantec is planning to unveil its first suite of security software for Microsoft Windows Mobile devices - Symantec Mobile Security Suite 5.0 - at the CTIA Wireless show in Orlando.

With Mobile Security Suite 5.0, Symantec aims to provide mobile devices with the same kind of protection it offers to PCs.

Although PC viruses significantly outnumber viruses aimed at mobile devices, unguarded handsets could provide attackers with a route into company networks. To address this problem Symantec has added new tools to secure devices while they’re being used and combined those with features to prevent data loss if they are lost or stolen.

The software allows companies to encrypt everything on a handheld device and its storage cards, or to encrypt selected files, using 256-bit AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) encryption.

A user name and password is required to access data and the software includes an antivirus component, antispam feature and an IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) VPN, which stop the use of devices which are not compliant with policies.

If a device is lost or stolen, the software also allows data to be erased remotely by administrators, and also includes an audit log feature which keeps track of activity on the device so the company can see everything that happened after it fell out of the employee’s hands.