Good news for Google users as the company is set to increase the security of its Verify Apps with a big update.
Currently, Google scans all the apps that are submitted to its Play Store for known malware, as well offers users the option to scan the apps when installing them.
Now Google is looking to step up security further as users will soon be able to scan for malware, which is discovered by Google later even after you install an app.
According to a Computer World report, Google is looking to push out an update for users running Android 2.3 or upwards on their devices in the coming weeks. Post this update, users will be able to scan for malware continuously.
Adrian Ludwig, Android Lead Security Engineer, revealed that the upcoming change builds on the Verify Apps feature which was introduced in 2013.
"We're constantly updating what [threats] we're aware of, so being able to detect those things where we've improved our coverage is valuable," said Ludwig to Computer World.
Ludwig asserts that the intention is to ensure stringent security.
"At this point, there really is a collection of services that we're starting to think about as the Google security services for Android," per Ludwig. "We want to make sure there is no single point of failure within our platform so users can be protected."
Moreover, Ludwig also disclosed that the new update will also aid in identifying issues with apps that were installed prior to Verify Apps becoming available. The new system will also detect malware existence in apps that are installed without a user's knowledge i.e. for example if someone borrows their device and installs something.
"We want to make sure that if that were to happen, a user would be made aware of it after the fact," notes Ludwig.
The impending update to Verify Apps is expected to hit Android devics running Android 2.3 and upwards via the Google Play Services update. This basically means that OEM's and carriers have no role to play and the update should roll out without any delays that are sometimes experienced in OTA Android updates.
