SN 1046: Google's Developer Registration Decree - The End of Free Android Apps?

Security Now (Audio)

Leo Laporte

Cyber Crime, Malware, Technology, Encryption, Steve Gibson, Security, Hacking, Twit, Spyware, Leo Laporte

4.6 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 7 October 2025

⏱️ 151 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Google's new demand for developer registration could spell the end for open-source app stores, while Europe's controversial chat control vote threatens privacy for everyone—Steve and Leo break down what's at stake for devs and users alike.

Qantas says no one can releak their stolen data.
Brave's usage is up. But is it really 3 times faster.
Next Tuesday the EU votes on "Chat Control".
Microsoft formally launches a "Security Store".
Outlook moves to block JavaScript in SVG's.
A new release of Chrome.
Gmail will no longer pull external email via POP.
Googe Drive starts blocking ransomware encryptions.
The UK issues another order to Apple.
Researchers create a "Battering RAM" attack device.
HackerOne's significant bug bounty payouts.
The Imgur service goes dark across the UK. Guess why.
The Netherlands plans to say NO to "Chat Control."
Discord was breached and government IDs leaked.
Salesforce says it's not another new breach.
Signal introduces a new post-quantum ratchet.
Your motherboard MIGHT support TPM 2.0.
Google to force Android app devs to register and pay

Show Notes - https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1046-Notes.pdf

Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte

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Transcript

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0:00.0	It's time for security now. Steve Gibson is here once again, making you aware of issues in our community like the Tuesday vote in the EU on chat control. What's wrong with that? Well, Steve will explain. He'll also talk about Braves assertion and it's three times faster than other browsers. Really? Researchers create the wildest
0:21.6	battering RAM attack device you've ever seen.
0:25.1	And then we will talk about Google's plan
0:27.0	to require everybody developing for Android
0:30.0	to register with them.
0:32.1	Is that a good idea?
0:33.7	I think not.
0:34.5	Let's find out what Steve thinks next on security now.
0:40.1	Podcasts you love. From people you trust.
0:44.5	This is Twit.
0:52.6	This is Security Now with Steve Gibson, episode 146, recorded Tuesday, October 7th, 2025.
1:01.3	Google's developer registration decree.
1:05.2	It's time for Security Now, the show where we get together with the brightest man I know and talk about the
1:12.3	latest in security news technology with a dash of sci-fi and every once in a while a pretty
1:19.5	funny little picture of the week. That's Steve Gibson. We actually do have a dash of sci-fi,
1:25.1	which we'll be getting to. We have a release date for the second volume,
1:30.6	the second tome of Peter Hamilton's, whatever that hell that thing was. I mean,
1:36.1	does I have to finish that thing. Oh, I don't know, Leo. We'll talk about it. I don't know.
1:43.8	But yeah, we've got a ton of news. By the way, that's when I bought the hardcover book. We were talking about having a lot of stuff, you know, physical media and how I love books. But I bought the physical book because I thought it'd be nice to have on my bookshelf. I can never move. As I said, you and I love books. I do. I do. I have a library for the whole room dedicated to books. It's beautiful. Well, and I remember, you know, that was all there was once upon a time. That's all we had. And so you spent a lot of time paging through books. And now,
2:19.8	you know, I have this huge library. I was telling Leo before that I'm going to be, you know,
2:24.3	basically downsizing where my wife and I are moving to another place. And we're not going to
2:31.4	bring anything that we don't actually need.
	...

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