Mobile technology is a security incident waiting to happen because while smartphones have taken off, software to protect them has not.

Symantec chief operating officer Enrique Salem told AP that the security software market is currently only worth a few hundred million dollars a year and that, given the popularity of the Blackberry and iPhone, it should be a lot more.

While the security market is expanding, its growth was not as great as many should think, he said.

McAfee's CEO Dave DeWalt said that the area was still one where companies like his saw 'opportunity' rather than growth.

Japan has the most sophisticated security products for mobile devices, and customers pay a monthly subscription fee to use the software. However, elsewhere in the world, few are interested.

One of the reasons that there has been a lack of security software, and ironically few security attacks, is that unlike in the computer industry, there is a lack of a dominant operating platform. Most of the security problems companies face occur when staff lose their PDAs, rather than through hacking or viruses.

However, a determined and clever virus writer could bring about a lot of damage before people get wise to the need for security software on their smartphones, the security companies warn.

More here: http://www.smh.com.au/news/security/mobile-device-security-slow-to-take-off/2008/05/28/1211654097115.html X