Security vendor Trend Micro unveiled a cloud-based technology for app stores which analyses Android and Symbian mobile apps for security threats. Mobile App Reputation automatically analyses apps for malware threats, risks to privacy, or excessive consumption of resources such as battery, memory or bandwidth.

The technology examines underlying code, the websites that apps connect to and general behaviour, and compares them with stored security information to identify and block dangerous or resource-hungry apps. The technology can scan up to 5,000 new apps per day, and already monitors more than 250,000 applications.

Mobile App Reputation can be used in conjunction with Trend Micro’s enterprise and consumer products, as well as third party Android app stores. Trend Micro plans to add support for apps running on other platforms in due course.

"The flexible nature of this technology allows for many possibilities both now and in the future– potential 3rd party app market and product integrations are just some of the short-term initiatives we are working on," said Trend Micro CTO Raimund Genes.