Google Android Security report: Google’s security services protect over 1 billion Android devices

Google released today its second Android Security Annual report which sheds light on how the company has been working to better secure the Android ecosystem. The report reveals new security protections introduced in 2015, in addition to insights on how Google has been working with partners and the security research community towards a more secure experience on Android

One of the main findings of the report follow Google’s work to improve machine learning and event correlation to detect potentially harmful behavior. As a result, Google protected users from malware and other Potentially Harmful Apps (PHAs), checking over 6 billion installed applications per day. 

Users were also protected from network-based and on-device threats with 400 million devices scanned per day. Google also protected hundreds of millions of Chrome users on Android from unsafe websites with Safe Browsing. Overall, PHAs were installed on fewer than 0.15% of devices that only get apps from Google Play.

“Greater transparency helps drive a well-informed discussion about security, and from there, more safety for all users. We'll continue our ongoing efforts to improve Android’s protections, and we look forward to engaging with the ecosystem and security community in 2016 and beyond,” said Adrian Ludwig, Lead Engineer, Android Security.

The report also highlights measures adopted by Google to strengthen Android security such as the new security protections and controls launched last year with Android 6.0 Marshmallow.  Android also joined Google’s Vulnerability Rewards Program in June, a program that pays security researchers once they find and report bugs. So far, Google has fixed over 100 vulnerabilities reported this way and paid researchers more than $200,000 for their findings.

“We’re working to foster Android security research and making investments to strengthen protections across the ecosystem now and in the long run,” Adrian added.