Google has announced that it has "beefed" up its security in the online Android app store as it begins to address serious flaws in the current system.

After conducting a security risk assessment and discussing strategies about modernising its policies, the tech giant has revealed that it developed a service called Bouncer.

This scans its Android app store to ascertain which applications are corrupt, infected with malware and deliberately malicious.

"While it's not possible to prevent bad people from building malware, the most important measurement is whether those bad applications are being installed from Android Market - and we know the rate is declining significantly," explained Hiroshi Lockheimer, vice president of engineering at Google's Android unit.

It's welcome news to people who use Android platforms on devices like smartphones and tablets as it reduces the chances of criminals obtaining their personal data.

Android has long been criticised for its lack of security, compared to Apple's attentive approach to its own app store.

"No security approach is foolproof, and added scrutiny can often lead to important improvements," Mr Lockheimer stated.

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Posted by Helen Jenkins

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