On Thursday a leading security firm warned that a commercial application intended for the Symbian operating system (OS) is actually a Trojan and a type of spyware.

F-Secure said the application FlexiSpy.A "records details of voice call information, SMS information and contents, and sends the details to a remote server." The company advised people not to install the application on their phones and classed it as a Trojan virus.

FlexiSpy's creators, Vervata of Thailand, wrote to Telecoms.com Friday with the following response:  "FlexiSpy is not a Trojan, nor a Virus and does not require the purchase of F-Secure Mobile Antivirus products to remove it."

According to F-Secure, FlexiSpy.A captures call logs, text messages and mobile Internet activity. Data captured by the application is then sent to Vervata's servers and is accessible to customers via a Web site.

Despite this pattern of activity, Vevata insists its product is not a virus. "FlexiSpy is activity monitoring software that needs to be consciously installed by a human, who knows exactly what the software does," the company said.

"It does not self-replicate, it does not pretend to be something it is not, and it always requires conscious human action for installation. Like any other monitoring software there may be a possibility for misuse, but there is nothing inherent in FlexiSpy that makes it illegal or malicious, and Vervata would like to point out that F-Secure comments categorising FlexiSpy as a Trojan are completely incorrect."

Symbian's press office told Telecoms.com: "From looking at the company's web site it requires the SIS file to be physically installed by the purchaser for it to work. Our advice to people... would be not to lend your phone to anyone or let it out of your sight. This application is also not Symbian Signed, so we can't vouch for it."

Calls to F-Secure were not answered at press time.

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