What is the Future of Ransomware on Android?

Corrupt apps got you feeling nervous? Google is rolling out Android O to chase off these malicious viruses before they attack.

Security

May 25, 2017

by PSafe Newsroom

If you’re an Android user who isn’t fully familiar with ransomware, ransomware is a form of malware that typically encrypts a computer system until the victim agrees to pay a ransom fee. For years, these malicious viruses have wrecked havoc against Android’s operating system. But you can keep these security threats at bay by running regular virus scans on your device so that you can catch any malware before it can do serious damage. Click now to use Full Virus Scan to check your device for malware:

The Full Virus Scan thoroughly checks every app on your device and SD card for security threats. Scanning your device regularly has never been more important: over the last year or so, reports have suggested that ransomware is becoming more aggressive. It even attacked an LG Smart TV in late 2016.

If you download a new app, and that app started interfering with your phone and its other apps, you’d delete it immediately, right? Unfortunately, ransomware does exactly that. Ransomware is known for hijacking other apps, then encrypting their data and often blocking the ability to uninstall. It can also affect the phone’s lock screen. But Google is vowing to confront these destructive viruses head-on with Android O, their newest operating system. Keep reading to find out if Android O is worth giving a “standing O[vation]” to.

How Android O Plans to Defeat Ransomware

Android “O,” the codename for Google’s newest operating system, has already launched a developer preview. Initially appearing on the scene in March 2017, Google plans on unveiling three more previews before the final version is launched in 2017’s third quarter. Android O’s central update involves battling ransomware. Mainly, Google plans to improve the protection of Android’s apps by deprecating vulnerable APIs and taking away functionality.

How has Google developed these strategies against ransomware? Well, that part is rather ingenious. Their developers followed 30 different malware strands “in the wild,” while gathering close to 50,000 samples from them. Using this data, the ransomware’s behavior was closely studied, while the Google team worked diligently to close Android’s security loopholes.

One of the main alterations, integrated into Android O, involves deprecating Android’s “DeviceAdmin” feature. Google found that around 70% of ransomware viruses were abusing DeviceAdmin on users’ phones. Ransomware would try to trick the user into granting admin privileges by hounding them with DeviceAdmin pop-ups. If the user gave in, their phone would be compromised immediately. By the end of 2017, we should know who’s winning in the Google vs. ransomware showdown.