AppEsteem Blog

Security-reducing apps: a call to action

(Hong Jia and Dennis Batchelder)

We think that many AVs need to update their (potentially) unwanted software policies to make sure they can block apps that reduce security without first obtaining informed user consent. We gave a talk yesterday at AVAR 2022 in Singapore to make our case, show which AVs are currently struggling with protecting their customers against these apps, and ask them to update their policies so their customers can be better protected.

You can see the slides we used for the presentation here.

This was our abstract:

As Avs get better operationalized in their fight against unwanted software (UwS), their combined pressure is driving the software monetization industry toward finding the gaps in AV policies so they can continue to exploit consumers for easy money.

The big gap in AV policies these days, unfortunately, is around apps that make their computers more vulnerable to attacks. The result? A proliferation of apps that needlessly reduce their customers’ security postures and set them up for future attacks, without first obtaining informed user consent. Examples of these apps include VPNs that install self-signed trusted root certificates and free apps that monetize by installing proxies that share their internet connection and processor.

Lately these security-reducing apps that don’t obtain informed consent are grabbing public attention: articles about them are popping up in both security blogs and computer industry news. Some platforms and AVs are beginning to respond – they detect after others have called them out. But the platforms and AVs have been slow to update their policies, and slow to detect these apps as UwS, which leaves a gap that software monetizers continue to exploit.

Our session will show examples of how these apps reduce their customers’ security postures. We will highlight the platform and AV public policy gaps that have led to the spread of them. We’ll make suggestions as to how Avs can enhance their policies to better protect their customers from these apps.

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