Trusteer wants to make Android and IOS more secure

WEB INSECURITY FIRM Trusteer has announced it will integrate its security software into Worklight's Mobile Platform to help smartphone developers create secure software.

Trusteer, known best for its Rapport software that is provided by some banks to protect their customers, is working with Worklight to help developers integrate a way of detecting malware on mobile devices. The firm will integrate its Secure Web Access into the Worklight Mobile Platform, supporting IOS, Android and Blackberry developers to get its software incorporated into applications.

Trusteer's Secure Web Access aims to detect malware on smartphones. Aside from malware detection, it also provides reporting capabilities that are particularly useful for enterprises so administrators can identify infected devices remotely.

Aside from malware detection, Trusteer says it will be working on tamper resistant security libraries and detection of SMS based phishing attacks.

The issue of security on smartphones was highlighted by the glut of malware that has appeared on Google's Android Market. Since then, Google has released a 'kill switch' to contain the spread of malware on Android devices.

However it seems that Trusteer and Worklight don't think Google's actions are enough, with Ron Perry, CTO for Worklight saying, "With this latest addition to our capabilities, made possible by integrating with Trusteer's leading protection technology, WorkLight will uniquely provide customers with safeguards against increasingly frequent and sophisticated mobile malware attacks." That sort of talk makes you wonder whether you could catch a virus by just touching a smartphone infested with malware.

In the case of Google's Android operating system, the ability to integrate such security mechanisms without having to pay for them exists thanks to its open source nature.

However with Apple, Research in Motion and Microsoft sticking to closed source mobile operating systems, there will always be enough room for insecurity firms to make money. µ