Google's security measures in its mobile operating system include a malware check upon booting up an Android device. If malware is detected on the smartphone, users will receive a warning message that their device has been compromised, but the operating system will still allow the boot process to continue.
This security measure could be found until Android 6.0 Marshmallow. However, for its upcoming new version of the mobile operating system, Android 7.0 Nougat, Google has made a change that will further the malware protection provided to users.
According to a post on the official Android Developers blog, beginning with Android 7.0 Nougat, devices with corrupted boot images or verified partitions will not boot at all, or will boot at a limited capacity but only with the consent of the user. Through the second option, users will be able to gain access to the device's basic features but without allowing the malware to run its code on the smartphone to protect user data. In such a mode, users can retrieve their files before reinstalling Android 7.0 Nougat from the device's recovery mode.
The additional security measure known as Verified Boot would be very much welcome, especially with so many types of malware floating around, including the recently reported new version of the Android.Fakebank.B app. The malware automatically cancels outgoing calls to customer service call centers of banks, which are presumably being made to report and cancel unauthorized transactions.
However, with the added protection of blocking the booting up of a compromised Android 7.0 Nougat-powered device, there also comes the risk that non-malicious corruptions will also prevent the smartphone from turning on.
As such, Verified Boot can also backfire and inconvenience users who experience even just one corrupted byte in their device. The security measure will not be able to distinguish if a compromised device was due to malware infecting the smartphone or if the issue was caused by a harmless bug that happened during the device's regular use.
Google has of course also thought about such an issue, which is why Android 7.0 Nougat will also come with advanced mechanisms that will help prevent data corruption from happening . The operating system, through a process called interleaving, will allow users to recover the loss of data on the smartphone's file system by intelligently repairing corrupt regions through error correction methods.
Google officially unveiled Android 7.0 Nougat a few weeks ago. In addition to this additional security feature, the operating system will include a VR mode, the Doze on the Go battery-saving feature and a revamped notification panel.
