Security experts are warning Symbian phone users of a new Trojan attack making the rounds. Known as 'Sexy View,' the Chinese-based mal ware has been targeting handsets running the Symbian S60 3rd edition software. Earlier versions of the system are not believed to be vulnerable to the attack.

The malware spreads itself via SMS message under' the names "sexy view" and" play
boy," according to F-Secure. The attacks target both English and Chinese language handsets. Rather than targeting a specific vulnerability in the Symbian software to install itself, Sexy View uses its suggestive name to trick curious users into manually installing the malware.

Once installed, the mal ware attempts to turn off several application management utilities and then remotely open up a connection to a remote server. From there, user details are collected and archived, and SMS messages are sent out to everyone in the victim's contact list. "This is something we don't see very often," F¬Secure said in a bulletin.

"There are spy tools and other privacy threats directed at S60 3rd Edition phones, but malware is still mainly an issue on S60 2nd Edition phones." Researchers noted that the mal ware does not attempt to hide itself, and users can manually remove it through the handset's App Manager tool.

Sexy View is the latest in what security experts expect will be a growing crop of mobile malware in 2009. As smartphone handsets become increasingly popular and operating systems become more complex, researchers expect to see malware writers target them more often.