Google Play Store key source of malware installs on Android, study finds

Google Play Store has been identified as the main distribution vector for most malware installs on Android, according to a recent study by researchers from NortonLifeLock and the IMDEA Software Institute in Madrid, Spain. Unwanted app distribution on android devices’, researchers have analysed 12 million Android devices and their connection between apps over a four-month period between June and September 2019. They said despite many security improvements provided by the Android ecosystem, the security posture of Android devices with respect to unwanted apps is not better than that of Microsoft Windows hosts. To compare distribution vectors, researchers calculated vector detection ratio, by finding the ratio of unwanted apps installed via a vector over all apps installed via the same vector.