Symantec offers PC-like security to Windows Mobile devices 10 April, 2007 By Vanessa Ho

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The Mobile Security Suite 5.0 features anti-virus, a firewall, anti-spam for the SMS channel as well as network access control, host intrusion protection and a VPN.

In addition, Symantec is also offering loss mitigation technologies in the same suite that encrypts data on the device and features an audit log for data activity should a device get lost or stolen.

"Many Symantec customers -- IT departments and consumers alike -- understand that mobile phones represent the new computing platform," said Paul Miller, managing director of Symantec's mobile security group.

Previous versions of the Symantec solution only offered anti-virus for Windows Mobile devices and a firewall for Symbiant devices.

"The biggest reason to expand this suite at this time is that many of these devices, especially in the Windows Mobile space, are now running on two networks: the [cellular] network [and] a wireless LAN. These devices are more computer-like than ever and are much more vulnerable to some sort of denial of service attack, spamware or spyware," said Miller. "There are always risks [and] we wanted to stay ahead of curve so not to recreate the problem that the PC got when they started connecting to networks," he added.

As well, Miller said that customers were asking for a suite that offers security and loss mitigation all-in-one.

"They were trying to protect these devices with different point solutions that became too many for them to manage," he added.

One of the benefits of the Symantec's Mobile Security Suite 5.0 is that it brings in all the security solutions into one but Miller said the most compelling benefit of the solution is the audit log feature.

A file activity log, which is tamper resistant, helps administrators determine if confidential files have been accessed, and a data wipe tool erases all data after a maximum number of consecutive failed login attempts.

James Quin, senior research analyst with Info-Tech Research Group, was most pleased to see that Symantec included loss mitigation as part of this suite, especially the encryption capability.

"With phones having memory cards in them it is very easy to put gigs and gigs of data on a phone and that's a really easy device to lose. The fact that we now have this encryption capability on the phone is the most relevant piece as far as I am concerned," said Quin.

As well, the solution allows administrators to enable and disable certain device features, such as Bluetooth, WiFi and device synching. This limits security vulnerabilities and potential attack vectors by only providing access to those features required for business.

The tamper protection feature verifies that the device's image and security applications have not been tampered with or altered prior to allowing network access. Enterprise management provides a management console for IT administrators with customizable security policies and reporting.

For channel partners, Miller said that the new Symantec mobile security suite gives them a significant up sell opportunity to sell into companies that want to establish security with their mobile devices as well as their PCs

However, while Quin applauds Symantec for being ahead of the game in terms of offering mobile security, he still isn't sold that there is a clear need for these kinds of tools.

"I think organizations should start paying attention to these solutions once we actually start to see real world impact of [mobile] threats. Budgets are limited and viruses may exist [but] the threat of attack is so minimal that it is not worth spending the money," he said.

Quin added that adoption will increase once there is a cost associated with not having these mobile security tools in place. And when that time comes, Quin is happy to know that there is a comprehensive holistic solution out there waiting for him.

Symantec is scheduled to release both an enterprise edition and a consumer version of Mobile Security Suite 5.0 sometime in May. The consumer version will not have any network access control or a VPN on it.