Now, Google has a 'defense alliance' to fight malware-laced apps
What's the story
Every now and then, we see reports of malware-laced apps slipping into the Google Play Store. The problem has been around for a long while, but Google is now working on a solution - an 'app defense alliance' that will have some of the finest players from the world of mobile security battle bad apps. Here's all about it.
Need
Need to weed out malicious apps from Play Store
Google already uses its 'Play Protect' system to check if apps installed on a device are free from malware. But, the thing is, this feature only scans and warns against on-device threats, not those on the Google Play Store. The new alliance will work to tackle this particular issue by keeping malicious apps from showing up on the store in the first place.
Details
ESET, Lookout and Zimperium to help Google
As part of the app defense alliance, Google will work with security giants ESET, Lookout, and Zimperium to flag potential threats and prevent them from being published on the Google Play Store. The search giant says all three companies specialize in mobile security and use machine learning tools and static/dynamic analysis to detect malicious apps and protect Android mobile devices and their users.
Quote
Alliance partners are proficient in detecting Android threats, says Google
"We hand-picked these partners based on their successes in finding potential threats and their dedication to improving the ecosystem," Google said while announcing the alliance with the companies. "These partners are regularly recognized in analyst reports for their work."
Plan
How Google will utilize partner resources to make Android safe
Now, in order to tackle bad apps, Google will work with the researchers at these companies and integrate Play Protect detection-systems with their scanning engines. "This will generate new app risk intelligence as apps are being queued to publish," the company said, noting that the "partners will analyze that dataset and act as another, vital set of eyes prior to an app going live."
Hope
Hopefully, malicious app reports will fall now
Google's struggle in getting a grip over malicious apps directly ties to the sheer number of active Android devices (over 2.5 billion to be exact) around the world. However, with the latest alliance bringing multiple detection engines together, the company hopes to be more efficient in identifying potentially harmful apps. So, hopefully, we may soon see a fall in malware-laced apps on Play Store.