New program snoops on cell phones

What do you call a program that can capture call logs, text messages and mobile Internet activity on your cell phone? Its creator calls it a boon to parents and spouses, but a computer security firm calls it spyware. Thailand-based software company Vervata claims FlexiSpy can be used to monitor children and cheating spouses, but Finland-based F-Secure has included it in its list of malicious software for its anti-virus program to detect and remove. "FlexiSPY Light is a powerful mobile phone monitoring application that secretly records all activity on a mobile phone. Install FlexiSPY Light on a supported mobile phone and start to receive copies of SMS messages (sent & received), call history (incoming & outgoing), and more!" Vervata (vervata.com) said on its FlexiSpy website (flexispy.com). It said FlexiSpy is the world's first spy software built exclusively for mobile phones, adding FlexiSPY is "not a virus or Trojan." Vervata said FlexiSpy requires conscious installation and configuration on a cell phone, unlike a virus or Trojan that spreads automatically without any action. In its website, Thai-based Vervata said it specializes in unique mobile software, and claims to have as clients firms like Toyota and Subway. FlexiSpy sells for $49.95, and runs on cell phones that run the Symbian operating system. Vervata plans to release by end-April a version for Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices. On the other hand, Vervata said it is working on FlexiSpy Pro, which may include a "monitoring" feature that lets the user call the target cell phone from a preset number and listen in on what's going on in the background, in much the same way a baby monitor works. But F-Secure has included FlexiSpy in its list of malware for its anti-virus programs to detect and remove. In its corporate blog, F-Secure (f-secure.com) said the application completely hides itself from the user once it is installed. It added miscreants can use the program to attack other phones, such as by sending the program to other phones via Bluetooth. "Flexispy.A records both voice call and SMS information and sends the details to the FlexiSpy server. From there the information can be accessed through a web browser," the F-Secure blog read. F-Secure said FlexiSpy records from voice calls the target phone's IMEI, client time, server time, direction, duration, phone number, and contact name in the victim's phonebook. It can also record details from SMS such as the content of the SMS message. "What makes this interesting is that Flexispy.A is a Trojan spy written by a company for commercial reasons. The company claims that it's a useful tool for catching a cheating spouse. By installing the application on the phone they can monitor to whom the victim is calling and what SMS messages he or she is sending. The company even claims that Flexispy is not a Trojan," F-Secure said. It pointed out that the application installs itself without any kind of indication as to what it is, and when it is installed on the phone it completely hides itself from the user. "Not to mention the fact that spying on people's private communication is illegal in most countries around the world. And the fact that all of the information is stored on the FlexiSpy servers, puts the company in a rather interesting light," it said. "So yes, FlexiSpy is indeed a Trojan and we have added the detection to our F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus so that any user who has a phone that has been infected with this Trojan will get a warning that someone is spying on them."-GMANews.TV