900,000 attempts here to install high-risk mobile apps blocked

200k Android devices could have been left vulnerable since Feb if not for intervention

- Osmond Chia

Android users in Singapore continue to fall for malware scams and, since February, have made about 900,000 attempts to install highrisk mobile apps that could have left their devices vulnerable to being hacked, according to the latest figures released by Google on Aug 15.

Such attempts to install these apps on more than 200,000 Android devices here were blocked by Google's enhanced fraud protection security measure, the company announced at its Safer With Google online safety conference.

Released exclusively here in February, the enhanced Google Play Protect feature works in the background to block the installation of unofficial apps that require suspicious permissions, such as to read text messages.

The high number of installation attempts comes even as reported malware scam attacks fell from 1,899 for the whole of 2023, to 95 cases in the first half of 2024 - a sign that security measures rolled out by platforms, banks and the authorities in the past year are taking effect. In 2023, victims lost more than $34 million.