F-Secure has extended its Mobile Antivirus tool to cover handsets based on the Symbian OS 9 platform

F-Secure has extended its Mobile Antivirus tool to cover handsets based on the Symbian OS 9 platform, which includes forthcoming enterprise phones from Nokia.

The firm said it is among the first security vendors to include protection for Symbian OS 9, which forms the core of Nokia's Series 60 3rd Edition phone software. F-Secure already offers a version of Mobile Antivirus for handsets running Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 and for Series 80 models such as the Nokia 9300 and 9500 Communicator devices.

Nokia's Series 60 3rd Edition software runs on phones such as its 3250, the N-Series and its new business-focused E-Series handsets, but F-Secure said the latest Mobile Antivirus version could protect all current and future phones running Symbian OS 9.

"As mobile malware authors continue to increase their assault, Symbian's popularity is making it a primary target. While the Symbian OS 9 platform offers greater protection than its predecessors, ultimate security comes from the installation of a reliable, updatable antivirus product such as our new offering," said Antti Vihavainen, vice-president of mobile security at F-Secure.

The new release, available immediately, is also the first to include F-Secure's new Delta Update feature for its mobile products. This enables faster application updates, according to the firm, as it only updates elements that have changed, reducing the size of downloads and thus also cutting the cost of receiving such updates.

F-Secure Mobile Antivirus is available online and costs £24.95 per seat per year.