Android Nougat prevents smartphones from ransomware threats

Technology
Jul 11 2016 02:37 PM
Prachi

Android Nougat prevents smartphones from ransomware threats

MUMBAI: Realising the need to curb increasing malware Count, Google’s latest operating system Android Nougat will employ a new condition that will prevent ransomwares from resetting a device’s password using the ‘resetPassword’ API(Application programming Interface).

According to a Symantec report, numerous dangerous malwares including Android.Lock.E variants with advanced capabilities emerged during the first quarter of 2105.

All these malwares are capable of tricking the users and resetting their lockscreen password used primarily to access the device. Symantec said, “Even users who manage to remove the malware without resetting the device may be unable to use the phone because they won't be able to get around the password the malware sets.

” Research by Symantec showed that the malware sets or resets the password (either a PIN or a pattern) for the device’s lockscreen by invoking the "resetPassword" method.

In order to invoke this method, the calling application must be a device administrator. The upcoming Android version, known as Android Nougat, will introduce a condition so that the invocation of the resetPassword API can only be used to set the password and not to reset the password.

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