Android 14 Will Block Malware With Enhanced Security Updates

Google’s upcoming Android 14 will include enhanced security features to block Android malware. As reported, Android 14 will block malicious apps from accessing and exploiting sensitive permissions.

Android 14 To Block Malware From Accessing Sensitive Permissions

According to the details shared on the official Android 14 Developer version release page, the OS will prevent malware from abusing permissions access on the device, alleviating infection risks.

Google has mentioned this change in the “Behavior changes” section. Specifically, Android 14 will block malicious apps from exploiting permissions by deploying restrictions to implicit and pending intents. As stated,

For apps targeting Android 14, Android restricts apps from sending implicit intents to internal app components.

The release page also explains the changes that the OS will apply to stop malicious apps from abusing permissions on Android 14 and higher versions.

Other Android 14 Security Changes

Alongside this change, the new Android 14 also includes other behavior changes that Dave Burke, VP of Engineering, has explained simply in a post.

Some noteworthy changes regarding malware protection include,

• Runtime receivers – apps must declare if they need to use “dynamic Context.registerReceiver() as exported or unexported” – that is, if they need to access information from other apps or should remain confined to broadcasts only.
• Safer dynamic code loading (DCL) – since dynamically loaded executables may result in code injections, apps must mark dynamically loaded files as “read-only.”
• Blocking app installations – apps must have a targetSdkVersion 23 or higher since most malicious apps use targetSdkVersion 22 to evade the runtime permissions model.

For now, the first developer preview of Android 14 is available for the users’ testing and feedback. Google is working to improve the new OS to ensure better support, compatibility, and security across the different devices it will support.

According to Google’s timeline, the tech giant will roll out bet releases over the next few months, whereas the stable release will appear around July 2023.

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