F-secure launches mobile phone anti-theft tool

F-Secure's Anti-theft for Mobile can remotely lock lost or stolen devices

Security vendor F-Secure has released a new tool designed to help manage and recover stolen mobile phones.

The company said that its Anti-theft for Mobile software will protect Symbian and Windows Mobile devices through the use of several remote management tools.

The package includes a tool which can remotely lock lost or stolen devices, as well as an application to remotely wipe data from a phone if the device is stolen.

A third component in the Anti-Theft package will cause the device to automatically lock itself when a new SIM card is installed and report the new phone number to the user.

F-Secure hopes that the system will allow users to avoid further damage when their mobile phones are stolen.

"You carry your smartphone with you where ever you go, which means it can be particularly prone to being lost or stolen," said F-Secure mobile business director Arnoud de Vaal.

"Nowadays our mobiles contain a great deal of personal and confidential data that needs protection."

The company is also hoping that the toolkit will attract more users to its Mobile Security suite. F-Secure is embedding the £8.95 Anti-Theft application with an option to automatically upgrade to the larger Mobile Security service.