Google Explains How Its Android 4.2 Malware Scanner Guards The Side Do

[Sneha Chowdary]

[img]http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/11/android42-security.jpg[/img]

Sideloading apps on Android implies a whole set of [url="http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/06/mcafee-shows-how-major-android-scamware-ticks/"]security holes[/url], but the [url="http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/12/google-play-store-update/"]new malware scanner[/url] included in [url="http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/29/google-bumps-android-to-4-2-keeps-jelly-bean-moniker/"]Android 4.2[/url] could provide a much-needed plug. Talking to [i]Computerworld, [/i]Android VP of Engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer revealed that Google's been analyzing APKs that crop up online, regardless of whether they're official market apps or not, in order to maintain a growing database of good and bad code. The scanner -- shown above -- then works in a similar way to the [url="http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/02/googles-bouncer-service-scans-the-android-market-for-malware/"]Bouncer on the front gate[/url], comparing all the apps on your phone to that database. The new sentry helps Google build upon other Android 4.2 security features such as an improved app permission screen and a block against apps sending premium SMS messages in the background. On the other hand, some might say that collecting samples of existing malware will never be as powerful as truly [url="http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/android-malware-genome-proje/"]understanding its DNA[/url].