Google App Store adds new security measures to scan malware

Tencent Technology News (Xiaobei) On February 3, Beijing time, according to foreign media reports, Google added a new layer of security protection measures for its Android Market app store on Thursday, called "Bouncer", which can scan applications to find malicious software.

Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google's vice president of engineering, said that this technology can automatically scan new and existing applications, as well as the account of application developers, but "it will not damage the user experience of Android Market or require developers to submit application approval procedures".

Lockheed Hammer said in his blog: "This is the way it works: once an application is uploaded, the service will immediately start analysis based on known malware, spyware and trojan viruses. It can also determine whether the application is improper according to its behavior, and compare it with the previously analyzed applications to find potential risk factors."

Google said that each app will simulate Android devices running in the cloud architecture to find out whether there is "phishing" behavior. Developer accounts should also be checked to prevent prohibited developers from appearing again.

Android malware was a major event in 2011. Unlike Apple, Google has not implemented strict application approval procedures for its Android Market App Store, but has created a more open environment. At the same time, some dangerous applications have appeared in the App Store.

At a hearing on geographical location tracking last May, Alan Davidson, then Google's director of public policy, said: "We don't want to be a gatekeeper, and we don't want to go back and make sure that every application can live up to its name. Google wants to maximize the online efforts of small application developers."

According to Juniper Networks, from July 2011 to November 2011, the number of malicious software in the Android Market App Store increased by 472%. However, Google said today that compared with the first half of 2011, the number of potential malware downloads in the App Store fell by 40% in the second half of 2011.

Lockheimer said: "While this proportion is declining, the number of malicious applications reported by anti malware and security software manufacturers is also rising. We know that this proportion will decline sharply."

Last month, in order to profit from Google's mobile security problems, Microsoft provided free Windows Phone phones to victims of Android malware problems.