Beware, 60 Android Apps on the Google Play Store with a Total of 100 Million Downloads Infected with Goldoson Malware

On the other hand, Google will introduce a new attribute in Android 14 Beta 1 that apps can use to prevent malicious accessibility tools from accessing security screens, such as the two-factor authentication or 2FA code viewer. This update was reported by an Android expert, Mishaal Rahman, via his Twitter account.

Given that Accessibility APIs capable of scanning screens are often abused by hackers to infiltrate malware and steal 2FA code, Google is improving accessibility, such as the high-contrast text that works with Material You.

Reported by Android Police, Friday (14/4/2023), Android also prevents easy activation of accessibility services in applications that are downloaded manually from outside the PlayStore. This system warns users to be extra careful and make sure apps can be trusted before installing their accessibility services.

This is a very important factor to avoid potential API abuse and theft of various important data by hackers.

“On Android 14, apps can set attributes to prevent non-accessibility tools from interacting with important screen displays. For example, Google Authenticator can ensure that only accessibility tools can read 2FA codes,” Rahman wrote in a tweet uploaded Thursday (13/4/ 2023).

According to Rahman, the Accessibility API blocking in this public beta has changed slightly from Android 14 Developer Preview 2. This feature is smarter by allowing the Android system to detect sensitive data and automatically block app accessibility.

Even so, the way the features work in both developer versions of Android 14 remains the same and aims to provide more protection for users.