Google Play Store is the largest malware distributor on Android phones: NortonLifeLock

Google Play Store is the main distribution vector for malware on Android phones according to a new report by NortonLifeLock and the IMDEA Software Institute in Madrid. According to the report, 67.2 percent of malicious app installs came from the Google Play Store.

The researchers have stated that the reason behind such a massive malware distribution centre is that the Google Play Store has a huge volume of downloads compared to any other sources on Android phones. They also stated that the defences do work for most, however, a few sneak past.

The study was conducted on 12 million Android devices with data from 7.9 million over a four-month period. The study compared app downloads from the Play store, alternative markets, web browsers, from commercial PPI (pay-per-install) programs, from instant message, and seven other sources.