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The onslaught of smartphone viruses and Trojans mean mobile handsets, the data on them and the enterprises they are often attached to are no longer as safe as they once were. Symbian handsets—the most popular smart device platform by far—have been particularly hard hit.

With this new reality in mind, Nokia and Symantec have inked a deal to put the anti-virus company’s software on the Finnish phone giant's smartphones. Through this agreement, Nokia will preload its Symbian-bases Series 60 interface devices with Symantec's Mobile Security solutions. The deal also enables other Series 60 licensees to evaluate and test Symantec's products for their own Series 60 handsets.

Symantec updated its Mobile Security for Symbian solution to version 4.0 back in May 2005. The software defends Series 60 phones as well as less common Series 80 communicators—such as the Nokia 9300 and 9500—from network intrusions and malware.

Symantec Mobile Security also closes vulnerable ports, while an AutoProtect feature runs continuously in the background, watching for malicious code in SMS, EMS, MMS, HTTP, and e-mail files. Users can also manually scan applications and file archives and a built-in firewall blocks suspicious incoming and outgoing connection attempts on the phone's LAN/WAN connection. Symantec LiveUpdate Wireless technology keeps a handset's definition file up-to-date.

"Nokia is determined to be active in the development of security controls and preventive measures against malware. The collaboration with Symantec, the leading security solution provider, is another step in our aim to bring the most advanced security features into Series 60 based devices," states Nokia's director technology platforms Matti Vänskä.

You can already find Symantec Mobile Security on Nokia's 2-megapixel N70 smartphone, which started shipping last week.