Malware has long been a hot topic in the world of Android for some time now, but today Google offered up details on some new (virtual) muscle it's got to help combat malware in the Android Market. Codenamed "Bouncer," the tool automatically scans the Android Market for any suspicious software that could harm your handset. The Bouncer analyzes new apps as well as existing ones, and it even scans developer accounts to make sure malicious devs aren't able to put their wares in the Market. Google explains that once an app is submitted, the service checks it out for known malware and spyware and also looks for things that show that an app could potentially misbehave in the future. The company adds that it actually runs new apps to check for any malicious behavior.

Google notes that Bouncer isn't new, saying that it's been scanning the Android Market with the service "for a while now." Between the first and second halves of 2011, El Goog saw a 40 percent decrease in the amount of potentially malicious apps in the Market. The Mountain View firm notes that that drop occurred at the same time as some security companies have claimed an increase in Android Market malware. Why the difference? Google seems to suggest that perhaps those downloads may be happening outside the Android Market, saying that it knows that the rate of bad apps coming from its own store "is declining significantly."

It's good to hear that Google and its Bouncer have been doing work to help decrease the amount of malware that slips into the Android Market, especially considering how quickly Android is growing and how many apps have been downloaded from the Market so far. Here's to hoping that Bouncer continues to get better and fight malicious apps before they can enter the Market and be downloaded by unsuspecting users. For more information about Bouncer and Android security, check out Google's post on the subject at the source link below.

Via Google Mobile Blog