Trend Micro boosts mobile app scanning

Trend Micro has announced the launch of software which will automatically identify, analyse and rate mobile applications.

Mobile App Reputation analyses additional mobile app attributes and works with third-party Android app stores, and may scan as much as 5,000 apps an afternoon.

By analysing the underlying code and the internet sites that the app connects to, and by dynamically analysing the app behaviour, Trend Micro said it could actually correlate the ideas with its own database to spot and block potentially dangerous and resource-hogging mobile apps.

A free malware scanner is on the market for Android users; Trend Micro CTO Raimund Genes called the Google Bouncer Service "a good first step toward getting additional security control over the Google App Store", but said more safety features for all of the other Android app stores are needed.

He said: “We already provide our technology to 3rd-party app stores which can be searching for an automatic procedure to vet the applications they need to distribute. Integration of mobile application reputation could help to give protection to their users, while also helping them to offer upfront information regarding the possible security, privacy and resource impact of certain apps before they're downloaded.”

Initially scanning Android and Symbian applications, Trend Micro said that it'll continue so as to add scanning of extra platforms over the years.