Kaspersky Lab expanded its mobile security platform to
include Android and BlackBerry devices, the company said on Feb. 22. Kaspersky already supported Windows Mobile
and Symbian, the company said.
The security features in Kaspersky Mobile Security 9 are not
currently available for all four mobile platforms, however. While anti-theft
features such as using the phone’s GPS to track down the location of the device
and remotely wiping information are available for Windows Mobile, Symbian,
Android and BlackBerry, encryption and parental controls are available only for
Windows Mobile and Symbian, according to Kaspersky.
Antivirus, firewall and privacy protection are also
unavailable to the BlackBerry, but available for Android, the company said.
Mobile filtering, which allows users to block spam text messages and unwanted
phone calls, are available for all devices.
Kaspersky Lab protects “sensitive and personal information
and identity” with Kaspersky Mobile Security 9, said Randy Drawas, chief
marketing officer of Kaspersky Lab Americas.
Kaspersky is not the only security vendor coming out with
mobile security products for Android, BlackBerry, Symbian and Windows Mobile. McAfee
also announced its McAfee Mobile Security suite, which bundles its WaveSecure
and VirusScan Mobile products to offer remote lock, GPS tracking, remote wipe
and malware scanning features to mobile users, the company said. The company
also is beta testing its WaveSecure software for Android tablets, to protect
lost devices.
The Kaspersky anti-theft technology available for all four
platforms includes SMS Find, Remote Block and SIM Watch. With SMS Find, users
can pinpoint the missing mobile device’s location on Google Maps using real-time
GPS location data. The information can also be sent to a pre-defined e-mail
address, according to Kaspersky officials.
Kaspersky Mobile Security 9 also lets users remotely block
anyone from downloading data or receiving calls on the missing device, the
company said. The device can be either locked down to prevent anyone from
accessing private data or remotely wiped, to delete all sensitive data.
SIM Watch alerts the original owner if the thief tries to
foil GPS tracking and remote wipes by replacing the SIM card, the company said.
The telephone number associated to the new SIM card is automatically sent to
the pre-defined e-mail address, and the original owner can still remotely wipe
data, according to the company.
Android users now have access to an antivirus scanner and
firewall to protect against mobile malware, Kaspersky said. While still
minimal, there have been reports of Android Trojans in the wild recently, as
well as social engineering attacks that target mobile devices. Kaspersky said
its scanner will prevent malware that can steal data or affect phone
functionality.
The Privacy Protection features also allow Android users to
keep certain contacts and communications with those contacts hidden. Those
selected contacts will not appear in the address book, the phone will not ring
if they call and no notification will be shown if they send a text message,
Kaspersky said. The contacts are revealed only when the user enters a code to
disable the protection feature.
The new version of Kaspersky Mobile Security 9 is available
as a subscription-offering for $29.95 per license. Supported versions include Symbian OX 9.1 and
higher, Windows Mobile 5.0 to 6.5, BlackBerry 4.5 to 6.0 and Android 1.6 to 2.2
(Donut to FroYo).
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