Google is working on a virtual private network (VPN) to shield its Android users from the dangers of public Wi-Fi, according to the tech magazine Pocketables.
Digging around in Android 5.1, the publication found the innocuous app Google Connectivity Services, which on launch informs the users their traffic will be directed through a VPN for security reasons.
However at present the app does not seem to be working, and Pocketables found themselves unable to connect to secure and unsecure Wi-Fi networks, as well as LTE networks.
Google has been attempting to upgrade its users’ security of late, in line with other Silicon Valley companies who are improving encryption in the wake of the heightened sensitivity over privacy caused by the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Public Wi-Fi has long been a concern for security professionals trying to protect people’s mobile devices from being attacked by hackers, who can intercept the often unencrypted traffic on public Wi-Fi networks by "poisoning" hotspots.
VPNs often add encryption to traffic, as well as demanding proper authentication, which prevents unauthorised users from obtaining access to it.
