Android mobile phone users should be aware of the fact that a spyware application has been made commercially available for the platform running on their handsets, the Mobile Spy app. The software has already been released for other mobile operating systems, and now it has reached the Android platform too. What it does is to log GPS locations, calls, visited URLs, SMS messages and deliver them to the attacker. However, the application can be installed only manually, which means that the attacker needs to first have physical access to the device.

Here's how the app is described by its maker, “Mobile Spy runs in total stealth mode and no mentions of the program are shown inside the Android device. After the software is set up on the phone, it silently records GPS locations at a rate decided by the owner of the phone. The entire text of all SMS text messages, along with the associated phone number, is also recorded. Additionally, inbound and outbound call information with duration of the call is recorded. Immediately after activities are logged, they are silently uploaded to the user’s private online account.”

Mobile Spy is currently working as a malware worm, although its maker says it is only meant to “silently record SMS text messages, GPS locations and call info of your child or employee.” According to a recent post on zdnet, antivirus companies have already showed that spyware applications contain vulnerabilities that can allow anyone to access the logs. Mobile Spy's maker is proud of its vendor position, yet it might not be too long before the app is categorized as malware and treated as such. For the time being, antivirus solutions see it as spyware.

“Mobile Spy runs on all Android devices, including the new My Touch 3G by T-Mobile and Motorola Droid. The software also has a version for iPhone, BlackBerry and other smartphones running the Windows Mobile or Symbian OS operating systems. These devices are available from most major mobile carriers” is what Mobile Spy's maker says. If you want to learn more on this app, head over to the company's site for additional details.