Android O: Google play store has many malicious apps listed. These apps can affect the Android users. These malware apps can obtain your personal data from your Android device. The Android Marshmallow has a major flaw in the security department.
According to the Israeli security firm, Check Point, Android O will kill a big security problem for Google’s latest Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow OS. The problem is related to the SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW permission. It permits the third party app to overlay content over other apps. The users will never know that they are typing on another screen. The users will think that they are typing passwords of Uber, Whatsapp or may be internet banking apps. These kinds of android security vulnerabilities can result in severe cyber crimes.
The malicious app can also connect you to other apps. For example, you will think that you are playing games on your Android device, but you are tapping on the third party app screen. It can give permission to install additional apps. Then, your device will get locked, and a ransomware message will pop up which will force you to pay money for operating the app.
The users will think that the problem is in just one app, but it is not so. All the apps downloaded from the Play store in Android 6.0.1 has the overlaying screen problem. Checkpoint declared, the screen overlay problem will not exist in the upcoming OS, Android O. It is a good news for all Android users. Although, the malware threat will not disappear absolutely, but the cyber-criminals will not be able to perform wicked activities smoothly.
According to the report, Google decided to add the screen-overlay threat at the time of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Android 6.0 Marshmallow devices asked the permission of the users for overlaying an app on the present screen. With the OS, a major problem arose in some valid apps like Facebook Messenger which is bound to overlay the new messages and notifications. So, Google allowed overlay screen setting by default in the Android 6.0.1. The app which is not installed by Play store needs permission before overlaying the device screen.
Checkpoint wrote that total 74% Android ransomware and 57% advertising apps on the Google Play Store was affected by this malware. The Android O will come with TYPE_APPLICATION_OVERLAY which will reduce the crimes like ransomware and adware. The TYPE_APPLICATION_OVERLAY is a kind of approval that will assist as an option to its forerunner. It will strictly prohibit the apps from overlaying any information in the “critical system windows.”
The Android users might be disturbed by reading the security issues in Android OS, but you don’t have to worry. You can wait to update the latest OS in your device. The Checkpoint report has a solution to get rid of this problem in the meantime. The latest OS will first feature in Google’s Pixel and Nexus devices. After Pixel and Nexus devices Android O will be featured at Samsung Galaxy smartphones. We have to wait for some months to update Google’s Android O.
