Harmful Android Apps Can't Hide Anymore by Changing Names and Icons

Google Play announced large upgrades to Play Protect’s unrecorded menace detection connected Android phones and tablets, intended to amended observe apps changing their quality to fell their activity. They were already moving connected the Pixel 6, but present Google is rolling them retired to much devices.

Earlier versions of Play Protect already scanned apps successful existent time, checking for known harmful bundle and utilizing on-device instrumentality learning to find suspicious activity. However, Google claims that this update is amended astatine detecting deceptive app behavior. Malicious developers often effort to fell harmful apps by changing icons oregon disguising their existent purpose, and that shouldn't enactment anymore.

Play Protect’s unrecorded menace detection present actively finds and warns users astir these tricks, making identifying and removing unsafe apps easier. This diagnostic archetypal launched connected Pixel 6 and newer devices, but it is being expanded to much phones.

The November 2024 update primitively brought AI-powered Scam Detection to Phone by Google and Google Messages. This system, which runs on-device AI, actively looks for suspicious telephone and connection patterns linked to scams and warns users close away. The caller update adds adjacent stronger scam detection straight to Play Protect, which should assistance it find and halt malicious behaviour from fake apps.

This upgrade lets the app instrumentality a much elaborate look astatine an app’s code, starring to faster and much precise detection of caller oregon changing malware, which tends to change itself to debar being caught. This real-time cheque gives users instant warnings astir an app’s information earlier they instal it, which greatly reduces the accidental of accidentally downloading harmful software.

This each started backmost successful October 2023, erstwhile Google primitively made these features overmuch stronger by adding real-time scanning astatine the codification level for apps that had ne'er been seen before. The caller update is going to instrumentality what's determination and amended Android’s wide information system.

Google says Google Play Protect is simply a cardinal portion of Android’s multi-layered defense. It is meant to enactment alongside features similar app support controls, Safe Browsing, and information updates to marque definite you don't accidentally download oregon sideload immoderate malicious apps oregon files.

This is due to the fact that adjacent if 1 information furniture fails, others inactive support your data. The summation of stronger mill reset protections and improved one-time password information successful Android 16 is simply a large portion of that. I've had to woody with Google's OTP recently, and tin accidental it truly needs an upgrade. I inactive request a one-time password done substance due to the fact that nary of the different options enactment for my account.

This is each done done Google's AI model. While determination are astir apt a batch of radical who don't similar that idea, it's being done locally, not by sending information to Google, truthful determination shouldn't beryllium immoderate privateness issues.

Source: Google