Google updates Verify Apps, adds post-install malware scanning

[Reefa]

Google is attempting to improve the security of Android, by changing the way it monitors apps on mobile devices. The Verify Apps service, which protects smartphones and tablets by checking the apps for malware at the time of installation and warning over potentially harmful software, will be updated to provide constant on-device monitoring of apps after the installation.

New notifications that appear similar to existing Verify App warnings will appear on-screen if it detects code that could be used in a malicious way, reports TechCrunch. According to Google, the current version of Verify Apps has been used more than 4 billion times, and fewer than 0.18 percent of installs in the last year occurred after users saw the warning notification.

The new addition is a small step on top of Google's existing efforts to fight malware and viruses on the mobile operating system. In January, a report from Cisco claimed that 99 percent of device-targeted malware is aimed specifically at Android, A later report from F-Secure claims 97 percent of mobile threats in 2013 aimed at the operating system, though it also found that the Play Store was the source of just 0.1 percent of malware samples it received with the rest originating from other app marketplaces.

Source