Spying programs for mobile phones are likely to grow in sophistication according to a leading mobile analyst.

Many of the spy programs on the market are powerful, but aren't very sophisticated code, said Jarno Niemela, a senior anti-virus researchers for Finnish security vendor F-Secure, speaking at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas.

But there is increasing evidence that money from selling the tools will create a stronger incentive for more accomplished programmers to get into the game, which could make the programs harder to detect, Niemela said.

Niemela said his prediction follows what has happened with the malware writers in the PC market. Many hackers are now in the business of selling easy-to-use tools to less technical hackers rather than hacking into PCs themselves.

One of the latest tools on the market is Mobile SpySuite, which Niemela believes is the first spy tool generator for mobiles. It sells for US$12,500 (£6,220) and would let a hacker custom-build a spy tool aimed at several models of Nokia phones, Niemela said.

Full story: computerworlduk.com