Google is rolling out more Android security features to keep up with more advanced mobile fraud: the company on Wednesday announced an update to beef up security features in Android that also provide more notice of malicious calls, messages, and notifications.
The warning, issued during Cybersecurity Awareness Month, points to how harder it has become to spot scams, which now often seem more like real companies, banks, and your own friends and family. Scammers are now more likely to use more convincing messaging, fake websites, and longer phone calls.
As Google, its Phone and Messages devices have Scam Detection abilities these days provide over 5 million suspicious scam calls and sms’s monthly. The new tools will back up those defenses and expand on them to more Android devices.
One notable new feature is Better Protection mode in Google Messages. This optional setting uses Google’s Gemini AI models via Private AI Compute to analyze conversations with unknown senders and detect potentially advanced scams.
Conventional scam filters can detect common red flags, like links or messages that ask for money information. But some offenders will earn trust first with a few innocent conversations before slipping in their demands.
The more advanced system is being built to make use of more contextual information from the conversation and for example, detect illicit intents that may be missed otherwise. Based on Google, the analysis of cloud is performed in a secure environment; data is encrypted and run on Private AI Compute.
The advanced Protection feature will be made available to Google Messages users in the coming weeks. As the Advanced Protection feature is an opt-in setting, you’ll need to enable it to enjoy the extra layer of security.
Malicious links remain a common tactic used by scammers to steal passwords, banking credentials, and other sensitive information. Fraudsters often create new websites that mimic trusted brands, making it challenging for standard filters to detect every threat.
Google is beefing up link protection with its Gemini Nano, the company’s on-device AI model. When better Protection is turned on, it can leverage signals from the web in real-time to evaluate new URLs before you click on them.
The more transparent alerts are meant to allow people to have additional time to decide whether or not a link is valid rather than simply clicking on it.
If you receive a message claiming a package is delayed, requesting you to check a bank account, or informing you that a serious payment is due, be extra cautious. If a text message is urgent and pressurising then this is a message that scammers will be using.
The Android update also has protections against malicious call forwarding. Malicious callers or apps could redirect your call to another number. This could give the scammer access to the call you’re making to or from your device.
Improves security measures for defending against tools that could be used to gain access to messages and account data.
Google is also boosting privacy while sharing screens on Chrome and Android WebView. For supported cases, private information will be blurred automatically, safeguarding users’ sensitive data while they’re sharing their screen.
