Google’s ‘Bouncer’ Service Aims to Toughen Android Security

Google has released details of a security system it is using to protect the Android app store from malicious software. Called Bouncer, the service analyzes apps and flags those with suspicious code before they have a chance to get into the store, the company said.
Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google’s vice president of engineering for Android, published a blog post on Thursday describing Bouncer. He explained that every app a software maker submits to the Android Market gets run through a simulation on Google’s servers to look for hidden malware, spyware and trojans, which malicious programmers can use to steal a user’s personal information.
He said Google also examines developer accounts to prohibit repeat offenders from submitting their software to the app market. After putting Bouncer in place, Google saw a 40 percent decrease in the number of potentially malicious apps in the Android Market in the second half of 2011 compared with the first half, according to Mr. Lockheimer.
“Our systems are getting better at detecting and eliminating malware every day, and we continue to invite the community to work with us to keep Android safe,” he wrote.

Read Full