Google brings in a ‘Bouncer’ to beef up Android security

The Android marketplace has taken a bit of a beating in recent weeks, after it was found that a large number of the available apps were just fronts for malicious software (malware). In a bid to combat this, Google is rolling out new software called “Bouncer”. Intimidating.

In an official post on its mobile blog, the internet giant says Bouncer “provides automated scanning of Android Market for potentially malicious software without disrupting the user experience of Android Market or requiring developers to go through an application approval process”.

According to Google, the new service “performs a set of analyses on new applications, applications already in Android Market, and developer accounts.”

It also reportedly runs every app through Google’s cloud infrastructure to “simulate how it will run on an Android device to look for hidden, malicious behaviour”.

In fact, Google claims that Bouncer has been running for a little while now and that the second half of 2011 saw “a 40% decrease in the number of potentially malicious downloads from Android Market”.

This claim is a direct rebuttal aimed at companies who market and sell anti-malware and security software [and] have been reporting that malicious applications are “on the rise” in the same period.

Even when Malware does slip through, Google claims, Android was designed “from the beginning to make malware less disruptive”. More specifically it was designed, unlike the PC model, for internet-connected devices.

Among the security features Android boasts are:

• Sandboxing: The Android platform uses a technique called “sandboxing” to put virtual walls between applications and other software on the device. So, if you download a malicious application, it can’t access data on other parts of your phone and its potential harm is drastically limited.
• Permissions: Android provides a permission system to help you understand the capabilities of the apps you install, and manage your own preferences. That way, if a game unnecessarily requests permission to send an SMS, for example, you don’t need to install it.
• Malware removal: Android is designed to prevent malware from modifying the platform or hiding from you, so it can be easily removed if your device is affected. Android Market also has the capability to remotely remove malware from your phone.

The very openness which has made Android such an attractive proposition to developers allowed malware to become a problem in the first place.

Google’s announcement puts a new spin on the Android versus iOS debate. Do you go to the club with loads of rules and restrictions, but the guarantee of safety? Or do you go to the more dangerous, but less restrictive club and hope that the “Bouncer” has your back?