As we mentioned in the Android 15 presentation, one of the pillars of this operating system will be user security. In this sense, Google is preparing to add a new layer of security to your access credentials.
Through a series of changes to several internal Android features, Google will make it harder for other apps to see sensitive data received via messages or email. A new feature that has a major impact on two-factor authentication codes.
Android 15 will add a protective shield over sensitive information
The news in question was discovered by Mishal Rahman. This discovered a set of new features in the Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1 code that, most likely, will only be implemented with the Android 15 release.
Based on its findings, Google will add a new permission called “RECEIVE_SENSITIVE_NOTIFICATIONS.” This will be quite restrictive, as it will only be available to some system apps.
Obviously, this new type of permissions will work in conjunction with the “NotificationListenerService” API. This determines whether applications on the smartphone can interact with received notifications or not.
Parts of the Android source code also indicate that a function called “OTP_REDACTION” is introduced. This will consist of a mechanism to hide two-factor authentication codes received directly on the smartphone lock screen.
To simplify what's explained above, Google wants two-factor authentication codes not to be displayed by third-party apps. She wants to make sure that this information is only read by people who are entitled to it.
These codes are usually received for authentication purposes on social networks, banking applications and other important services. Cases where you definitely don't want your access data to fall into the wrong hands.
This data is often diverted by malicious applications that can read your notifications or the content of messages and emails. This is why some security experts believe that two-factor authentication is not infallible.
And with the new features coming to Android 15, Google will make it more difficult for these types of malicious apps. All with the aim of improving the security of users and their data.
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