Google Has Blocked 2.28 Million Malicious Apps Entering Into Play Store

Google announced today it blocked a record 2.28 million policy-violating apps from entering the Play Store in 2023, leveraging advanced machine learning, stricter developer vetting, and cross-industry collaborations to combat evolving cyberthreats. 

The milestone underscores efforts to uphold its SAFE principles (Safeguard Users, Advocate for Developer Protection, Foster Responsible Innovation, Evolve Platform Defenses), which anchor its security strategy.

Enhancing Platform Integrity

Under the SAFE framework, Google implemented multi-layered defenses, including:

• Enhanced ML-driven app reviews: Improved algorithms now analyze thousands of behavioral signals, from code patterns to permission misuse, flagging suspicious submissions.
• Stringent developer requirements: Mandatory identity verification, including D-U-N-S numbers for organizations, reduced fraudulent account creation.
• Expanding SDK support: This repository now tracks SDK usage across 6 million apps, helping developers avoid risky integrations.

These measures led to banning 333,000 malicious accounts linked to fraud rings and repeated policy breaches. Additionally, 200,000 app submissions were rejected or modified for improper use of sensitive permissions like background location or SMS access.

Privacy-Related Collaborations

Google collaborated with SDK providers to limit unnecessary data collection, impacting 31 high-risk SDKs and 790,000+ apps. 

“To help safeguard user privacy at scale, we partnered with SDK providers to limit sensitive data access and sharing, enhancing the privacy posture for over 31 SDKs impacting 790K+ apps,” said Steve Kafka, Android Security Lead.

The company also advanced its App Defense Alliance (ADA) initiative, now partnered with Microsoft and Meta under the Linux Foundation’s Joint Development Foundation. 

ADA’s Mobile App Security Assessment (MASA) introduced independent security reviews for VPN apps, highlighted in Play Store listings via an “Independent security review” badge.

Off-Play Apps Security

For sideloaded apps, Google Play Protect’s real-time code-level scanning identified 5 million+ malicious off-Play apps in 2023. The system cross-references apps with a global database of known threats while using ML to detect novel attack vectors.

The new developer guidelines for 2023 mandate that apps provide in-app and web-based account/data deletion, simplify user management, and be transparent about AI-generated content. 

“We also recently filed a lawsuit in federal court against two fraudsters who made multiple misrepresentations to upload fraudulent investment and crypto exchange apps on Play to scam users”, Google said

Google’s continuous innovations in the Android ecosystem demonstrate its unwavering focus on protecting users and developers alike. 

With plans to launch new security initiatives and enforce stricter privacy transparency rules in 2024, Google is setting new benchmarks for app store safety and trust.

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