Google adds anti-tampering DRM to Android apps in the Play Store

collected by :Maya Tony

referring to SecurityGoogle adds anti-tampering DRM to Android apps in the Play StoreIt's intended to prevent malware, but it might have further implications. Google has made a small change to Play Store apps that could prove a significant help to the safety of your Android phone. The company is now adding a "small amount" of safety metadata to Android APKs to be sure that they were distributed out of the Play Store or an approved channel. As by media services, there's the potential for companies to use DRM to determine how and the time you use their apps. As good as this may be for mobile app security, it's possible that developers going to misuse this to exert more control over how you use their software.

Google adds DRM to Android APKs to verify the authenticity of apps from Google Play – BetaNews

Google adds DRM to Android APKs to verify the authenticity of apps from Google PlayDRM is something that's usually associated by streaming music and video, but there's no reason that it can't be put to other uses. Proving this, Google has started using a form of DRM to improve app safety by verifying that APKs originate from the Play Store. The aim is simple: to improve the safety of Android users by ensuring that they are using genuine apps that have not been tampered by in any way. Google is not referring to the new system as DRM, saying instead that it is adding a "small amount of safety metadata on highest of APKs to verify that the APK was distributed by Google Play". At the moment, it seems that Google is only really selling this idea to developers, not Android users.

Google Play Store adds 'security metadata' DRM to all Android apps

As it stated in A small but significant change was made to the Play Store this week, and it affects all Android apps. Google is now adding a "small" string of safety metadata to all Android APKs, that is designed to ensure the apps are authentic and have come from the Play Store or other approved source. The metadata is applied to all apps from developers using the laanalisis APK Signature Scheme, and Android going to eventually require that data to be present in any installed app. The change means Android users can feel confident they're getting real apps that have been signed off by Google. SOURCE Android Developers Blog