Symantec pre-empts handheld virus threat

Anti-virus vendor Symantec is aiming to pre-empt the next wave of viruses with the launch of security software for the Palm OS (operating system).

There are currently no known examples of viruses designed to attack handheld devices, but following a recent rash of WAP security scares, Symantec is warning that personal digital assistants (PDAs) will be next.

Ron Moritz, chief technical officer at Symantec, said in a statement: "As corporations embrace handheld devices and extend their network, securing programs and data on new platforms will become a necessity."

Symantec has re-engineered its anti-virus software to run efficiently on portable devices. The company is also working on the use of artificial intelligence and other technologies to eliminate the need for memory-hungry virus definitions on handhelds.