Google Prepares Security Team to Investigate Third-Party Apps

Google is preparing a new security initiative and building a new team with a single purpose — to investigate sensitive applications available through the Google Play Store.

Google scans all Android apps for malware before uploading them to the Play Store, but that’s not sufficient, especially for apps that deal with sensitive data. According to a ZDNet report, Google has posted a new Security Engineering Manager job ad, looking to fill a new position.

“Security Engineers work hands-on with network equipment and actively monitor our systems for attacks and intrusions,” says Google. “You also work with software engineers to proactively identify and fix security flaws and vulnerabilities.”

The responsibilities listed shed a little more light on the specifics of the job. “A team that performs reverse engineering, technical security assessments, code audits and design reviews of third party Android applications and libraries.”

The fact that Google is looking to scrutinize third-party apps a lot more closely is a good thing. In theory, it should make the ecosystem a lot safer. Applicants should also conduct research to identify new attack vectors against Android applications and improve security across systems.

Security and privacy have become a lot more important in the past few years, with various third-party companies pushing apps and SDKs that bypass, intentionally or by mistake, some of the Android operating system’s limitations.

Leaving aside some of the more popular apps that will undoubtedly come under scrutiny, the new security team will likely look at some of the other Android ecosystem problems, such click-fraud apps or fleeceware, which are far more common than everything else.