Google announced that it has updated Google Play Protect, its malware protection system for Android, to help it detect malicious apps that change their specific functions to avoid detection.
“This improvement helps better protect users from polymorphic malware applications that use different methods, including artificial intelligence, to make changes to avoid detection,” Google said in a blog post.
The update comes after the emergence of so-called polymorphic malware, which is difficult to detect using Google's current systems.
Google Play Protect Malware now recommends real-time app scanning when installing previously unscanned apps, scans newly installed apps against ongoing scans, and leverages technologies like cross-device machine learning.
After evaluating the code level, Google sends a notification to the user whether the application is secure or unsafe.
Google Play Protect is available on all Android devices with Google Play Services, and the protection system currently scans 125 billion apps every day to prevent the spread of malware and other malicious software.
The security system scans apps before they're downloaded, and scans your entire device daily to detect potentially malicious apps, whether they're installed through Google Play or elsewhere.
Researchers continue to issue alerts about detected Android malware based on existing protection methods.
Several hacking campaigns have been reported in recent months, often distributing malware under the guise of legitimate applications such as Chrome and YouTube, as users are more likely to grant these applications extensive permissions.
Google's blog post notes that download links for these malicious apps are often distributed via temporary sources, such as messaging apps.
“The security of Android users is a top priority and we are committed to working with our ecosystem partners and the app developer community to improve app security and combat malware and unwanted software files to keep Android safe,” the company said.
Google has started rolling out the new scanning feature in select countries, starting with India, and the feature will be rolled out to all regions in the coming months.