Google fights Android malware
By Bryan on February 8, 2012 | Malware, Google Android, Android Market, Android Market Security, Google Inc, Android OS, Android Platform, Bouncer.Bouncer for Android, App, Mobile Apps, App Developers, Android App Developers
It is well known problem that the Android App Market has been constantly attacked by scammers. Now Google has released a special filter that automatically scans the newly uploaded apps for malware this way drastically reducing the amount of malware infections.
The reason for the attacks was quite clear: unlike Apple App Store, Android App Market did not filter out or scan the newly uploaded apps from anyone. Scammers exploited this to their advantage – they used to upload apps with malware and this way the fraudulent programs would spread easily. But no more as Google confirmed the release of The Bouncer.
Meet - The Bouncer
Let's face it – an App Market which has already hit 11 billion downloads could not go on without any protection for a long time. So, a few days ago Google's Mobile Blog post revealed The Bouncer – a special app filter which has been running for an unannounced period of time but only as a test version. However, now Google is ready to present it to the community. The Bouncer automatically scans the uploaded apps and if anything suspicious is found, the app is scheduled for a manual threat test. Therefore, the user experience of uploading programs is not disrupted.
Is the Bouncer useful?
The Bouncer not only scans for known malware, Trojans and viruses. It also looks out for behaviors similar to the malicious software. Also, Google keeps an eye for new users and their uploaded programs. The results have been overwhelming – over 40% decrease of apps in the Android Market that are uploaded with malicious software. That is a truly tremendous Google win against scammers so the users now can feel a little safer.
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