I would agree with you that the threat from malware on mobile devices is currently fairly low. However, there has been a shift away from hobby-hackers and towards criminals attempting to make money. There is also a problem with commercial spyware such as Flexispy. And there is more malware out there than people think. Some network operators tell us that 8% or more of their SMS/MMS message traffic is coming from infected devices. We also talk to distributors who tell us that a significant proportion of the handsets returned under guarantee are not faulty but have been infected with malware.

Network operators can provide some protection but most of the methods currently used by malware to spread cannot be blocked by the operator.

It is true that users can avoid most of the malware by being sensible but sadly, just as in the PC world, most users aren’t careful enough. They happily download and install software which claims to reduce their SMS costs, for example, only to find that it actually sends SMS messages to a premium rate number. They aren’t sufficiently security conscious. I’d like them to think more about what they are doing.

There are, of course, other threats to security such as theft. Software can’t stop your handset from being stolen but it can make sure that any valuable data on the device is protected.

I hope there will never be a real need for security software on mobile handsets. It would kill our business but, altruistically, it would be the best outcome for all of us. Sadly, I expect that mobile devices will increasingly attract the same kind of attacks that PCs currently experience. Careful, security conscious users may never need security software. Sadly, I suspect that most users will not be careful enough.

I will rather trust my intelligence and be careful while receiving bluetooth messages ratger than invest $39 inan anti virus