Tag Archive for: Google

Google Reveals Android Security Update That Even Beats iPhone

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The clear differences between Android and iPhone are narrowing quickly—and the latest Google update has just reduced that gap even further…

It’s already clear that Android 15 will be a huge step forwards for users on the security and privacy front. The gap between iPhone and Android is closing fast, with little to choose between features and hardware. Apple’s privacy and security credentials have remained one of the last standouts—but Google is catching up.

Just as with the recent revelation that Google will provide Pixel users with warnings when their cellular devices might have been tracked or intercepted—beating iPhone at its own game, we have just seen another security innovation previewed.

In fact, the latest revelation to come from the Android 15 Beta currently doing the rounds, actually beats iPhone with a neat new security feature.

MORE FROM FORBESGoogle’s New Cellular Tracking Defense Revealed For Pixel UsersBy Zak Doffman

This update is app quarantining. One of the areas where Android still lags iPhone is app defense—malware and device infection. Google provides Play Protect and has shored up its Play Store, but rogue apps still manage to find a way through.

Quarantining is a halfway house between letting a potentially dangerous app run wild on a device and deleting it completely. Instead, Android could quarantine an app—almost like putting it into a sandbox, where it’s contained and unable to access data or functionality that might harm the user, without resorting to deletion.

This doesn’t seem like such a material change. But because deletion is so drastic, Play Protect needs a high bar before it does so automatically. That isn’t the case with quarantining, meaning the system can act more quickly and more often.

And while this will initially be seen as soft deletion, it could evolve into a setting whereby Android can act to block apps with onerous permissions or which seem to be acting out of character. Perhaps, eventually, users could even select a general privacy/risk level and have the system act accordingly.

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Google to launch a new ‘anti-virus’ system for apps, reveals Android 15 beta release

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Android 15, set to debut on Pixel smartphones later this year, has revealed intriguing features through developer previews and public beta releases. Among these features is a potential new tool aimed at aiding users in identifying and containing malicious apps on their devices.

Feature Unveiled in Android 15 Beta:

The latest beta of Android 15 has unveiled a prospective feature that could chnage app security on the platform. Reported by Android Authority, this feature allows system apps like Google Play Services or the Play Store to isolate and impose restrictions on detected apps, akin to antivirus programs on Windows.

Functionality and Implementation:

The proposed functionality involves quarantining apps, severely limiting their capabilities once identified as potential threats. While the code for this feature exists within Android 15, it remains dormant pending activation. If implemented, quarantined apps would face restrictions such as being barred from displaying notifications, hiding their windows, stopping activities, and preventing device ringing.

Also read: Looking for a smartphone? To check mobile finder

Restricted Access and Potential Limitations:

The envisaged “QUARANTINE_APPS” permission would be exclusively granted to apps signed by Google’s certificate, effectively restricting the quarantine function to the Play Store or Google Play Services. Notably, despite quarantine, apps would remain visible in the app drawer, albeit greyed out. Tapping on such icons would inform users of their unavailability and offer options for restoration.

Uncertainties Surrounding Implementation:

While the feature was initially observed in a developer build of Android 14 in 2022, its fate in Android 15 remains uncertain. Should Google proceed with its integration, it’s likely that only designated Google entities would wield the power to quarantine apps. Such a tool could prove invaluable in cases where suspicious app behavior is flagged by Google’s Play Protect malware scanner.

As Android 15 inches closer to its official release, the potential inclusion of a…

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Google Chrome is getting a paid version with top-notch security features

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What you need to know

  • Google is revamping Chrome for businesses with Chrome Enterprise Premium, offering advanced security features for a monthly fee.
  • Chrome Enterprise Premium offers both a paid and free version. The paid version emphasizes enhanced security features such as data loss prevention and deep malware scans.
  • Chrome Enterprise Premium employs context-aware access controls to identify and mitigate potential data leaks, even from unauthorized apps.

Google is giving Chrome a security makeover for businesses. Called Chrome Enterprise Premium, it adds a bunch of advanced security features for those willing to pay monthly.

Google has been using enterprise Chrome for a while, allowing IT admins to control things like browser settings and the apps enterprise users use. Chrome Enterprise also offers data protection, malware guards, and phishing protection.

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Hackers Target Google Pixel Zero-Day Exploit

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Oh, the world of device and computer security never stops turning. Pay attention, kiddies, because there is job security in working in computer and device security. There’s not a week, or day for that matter, that doesn’t go by where a new security issue is being reported. This time, it’s the Google Pixel smartphone that is the target of hackers. Tomorrow it could be the iPhone or some other piece of software. Here’s what’s going on with the Google Pixel zero-day exploit.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

According to security researchers at GrapheneOS, a company that makes a more secure version of Android, hackers have been exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities to attack Google Pixel smartphones. Google has issued an advisory concerning newly discovered bugs that are being used for targeted attacks. “There are indications that the following may be under limited, targeted exploitation,” the advisory says.

According to PCMag, It doesn’t look like traditional cybercriminals or cyber spies have abused the vulnerabilities to attack the phones remotely. Google is crediting the zero-days discovery to Daniel Micay, a cybersecurity researcher and founder of GrapheneOS, an Android-based operating system focused on security. According to GrapheneOS, “forensic companies” have been exploiting the two vulnerabilities to retrieve data from Pixel phones.

Google Pixel

The rear camera bump on the Google Pixel 7a Android smartphone
The rear camera bump on the Google Pixel 7a Android smartphone.

  • The first vulnerability, CVE-2024-29745, involves the Pixel line’s bootloader, which loads the operating system into the phone’s memory.
  • The second vulnerability, CVE-2024-29748, can allow an attacker “to interrupt a factory reset triggered by a device admin app.”

Google plans on rolling out security patches for Google Pixel smartphones soon, so be sure to check your updates for that. If you want to dive a little deeper into the vulnerabilities, PCMag goes a bit more in depth about them in their article, so be sure to visit them.

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