Google is rolling out a new feature for its Play Protect security service that will scan apps at the code level in real-time to detect emerging threats, such as polymorphic malware. 

Google Play Protect already scans apps for malware before and after they are installed, but the new code-level scanning will help to identify even more sophisticated threats. This is especially important because cybercriminals are increasingly using AI and other methods to develop malware that can evade traditional detection methods.

When a user tries to install an app that has never been scanned before, Google Play Protect will recommend a real-time scan. The scan will extract important signals from the app and send them to Google’s backend infrastructure for evaluation. Once the scan is complete, the user will be notified if the app is safe to install or if it is potentially harmful.

This new feature is a nice addition to Google Play Protect’s existing protections, which rely on existing scanning intelligence and data to identify suspicious apps. With the new code-level evaluation, it can now detect even more sophisticated malicious apps that use AI or other methods to evade detection.

Google says that the new Play Protect feature will be rolled out to India first, and then to select other countries in the coming months. It will eventually be available in all regions.

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(Via)

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AnTuTu is a popular benchmark app. It is so popular that even manufacturers use its benchmark results to boast about how powerful their devices are. However, security concerns caused Google to remove all AnTuTu apps on the Play Store earlier this year. Now, Google is taking it a step further by blocking the app from being side-loaded.

If you try to sideload the AnTuTu app, Google Play Protect Services will warn you that the app can collect data that can be used to track you. At the moment, users can choose to install the app even with the warning but there are speculations that it may prevent the installation in the future. The Play Protect security warning comes up when you try to install versions 8.3.9 and 8.3.5 of the app. Surprisingly, AnTuTu is still listed on Apple’s App Store.

Also, it has been reported that if you visit the AnTuTu site via Google Chrome, you get a security warning that the site contains harmful apps that can collect tracking data.

AnTuTu is yet to issue a response to this new development. Back in March when its apps were pulled down from the Play Store, it responded with a statement saying it wasn’t owned by Cheetah Mobile, a developer whose apps have violated Play Store policies several times and had to be pulled down. Once there is an official statement, we will update the article.

Nevertheless, we will advise you to steer clear of the app until it is considered safe.

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(Source, Via)

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