As part of the annual Google I/O conference, developers announced many interesting new products, including those related to the security system of the Android mobile operating system. IT giant introduced a series of platform security improvements to protect the billions of Android users.
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One of the operating system’s security tools is the Safe Browsing feature, available in the Chrome browser and Android WebView when users browse web content through apps. Safe Browsing will receive a major update with the release of a new API that will enable real-time scanning of blacklisted websites with low reputation and alert users when they try to navigate to a potentially dangerous resource. Google predicts that this improvement will allow them to block 25% more phishing websites each month.
“Safe Browsing” will not only be faster, but also get functions based on artificial intelligence. Last year, the desktop version of Chrome started using a new AI model to detect phishing sites. This year, Google will expand the scope of this tool to better detect phishing campaigns and protect users from malicious users.
Another security tool is the Passkey security keys, support for which was added to Chrome last year. With their help, users can log in to various resources without having to enter passwords. The feature involves the creation of a token that is stored on the user device. The authorization request associates the token with a web resource or application without passing a password. To access the token, the user must verify their identity, for example using biometric authentication.
Last week, Google announced the availability of Passkey security keys on all major platforms. Now for developers implementing this technology comes the Credential Manager Jetpack API, which combines different authentication methods.
At the same time, Google continues to improve the protection of applications. Services for people with disabilities can be used by attackers to collect data. Android 14 introduces a new API that allows developers to restrict how access services interact with their apps. For example, using the new API, you can restrict access to certain services to apps that have been verified by Google Play Protect and are true accessibility tools. This approach helps provide additional protection against applications attempting to access sensitive data.
In addition, Android 14 blocks the installation of older apps built with SDKs below version 23. This is because scammers often use older development tools because they don’t have up-to-date security and privacy tools.
Google will continue to be transparent about how Android apps use user data. Last year, the Play Store introduced a “Data Security” section, where you can see how developers collect and share data before installing the application. Android 14 continues to work on more transparency. Each time an app requests permission to use location data, users can see if the product is sharing the information with a third party. In addition, developers will simplify the process of deleting user accounts created in various applications.
Last year, Google announced the Android Photo Picker tool, which allows apps to access specific photos and videos on a device instead of asking permission to use the entire library. An updated version of this tool with new features will be available in Android 14 along with an API that will allow developers to detect screenshots without needing access to user photos.
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