Whether you’ve experienced a phishing scam personally or know a victim, you’re surely aware of the extensive damage it can cause. Aside from the emotional impact, your finances can take a hit, depending on how much access the scammer gets to your sensitive information. Google knows how easy it can be to fall for aphishingscam, even if you’re up to speed on new types of online fraud. Now, the company is launching a pilot program in one city, specifically to address the financial fraud impacting Android device owners.
In an update posted on theGoogle Online Security Blog, the company announced that it will begin piloting a new Google Play Protect feature in Singapore, aimed at protecting users from Android apps that request certain permissions known to be exploited by phishing attacks. The move is the result of its partnership with the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore.
Together, the two entities hope that their initiative will prevent people from becoming phishing scam victims by automatically blocking malicious apps. The feature will work by scanning sideloaded apps to see if they have any of the following permissions: RECEIVE_SMS, READ_SMS, BIND_Notifications, and Accessibility. If any of these permissions have been granted to a sideloaded app, the feature will automatically block its installation and notify the device owner.
Android is preparing to add built-in phishing protection
Google is working on a feature that will scan apps for signs of phishing or other deceptive behavior
Although Google has only announced its pilot program, Android expert Mishaal Rahmannoted on X(formerly Twitter) that a similar, if not identical, security feature has been spotted in beta. Originally discovered as latent code in Android 14 QPR2 Beta 2, some are now seeing a feature in Beta 3.1 that scans for deceptive apps. It may have been intended to launch with Android 15, but the cat is certainly out of the bag.
It’s not clear if the two features are one and the same, but they certainly seem related, and the timing of the “Scanning for deceptive apps” menu appearing for some users within hours of Google announcing its anti-phishing initiative in Singapore is noteworthy. Whether the new anti-phishing measure(s) will be widely rolled out and included in future Android updates has yet to be determined, but it wouldn’t be entirely surprising if the feature(s) stuck around, given the moves Google has made to enhance privacy and security.
Interestingly, the deceptive app scanning feature was first detected back in 2023with the release of Android 14 QPR2 Beta 2. This wasn’t long after Google rolled out a similar program designed to help Android device users easily identify secure apps with a verification badge. This badge — which can be seen on some apps in the Play Store — indicates that the softwarehas been independently verifiedas up to par with security and privacy standards.
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As malware, phishing and other attacks become more complex, it’s these measures that may help Android device users ensure they don’t become victims. While it’s unrealistic to believe that Google can prevent every threat with such features, these tools and services can at least provide some peace of mind.
