Security company Panda Research has revealed that mobile phone company Vodafone has shipped a handset to Spain containing malware. The HTC Magic mobile handset which utilised the Android platform contained the Mariposa botnet as well as other assorted malware which could steal user information and credentials to send on to the creator of the malware.

Vodafone believes that only one handset was infected and has said that the incident may have been caused by a customer returning the mobile in a supposedly ‘sealed’ package that had actually been tampered with. The company is currently investigating.