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Fortnite developer hits out at Google over malware scam

Published on: 3 Sep 2018

Google has been accused of “creating an unnecessary risk for Android users to score cheap PR points” after revealing how an app used to install hit game Fortnite could be compromised to load malware.

Tim Sweeney, chief executive of Epic Games - the developer behind the gaming phenomenon, labelled Google as “irresponsible” for going public over the news and not waiting until an update had been rolled-out.

On August 15th, Google's security team privately shared a screen recording with Epic showing how the game’s Android installer could be fooled into loading malware.

Epic said it was working around the clock on a fix and made a 90-day non-disclosure request, essentially keeping the flaw under wraps until mid-November.

However, the internet giant rejected the request, saying it was acting in users' interests by refusing to keep the matter private.

Google has declined to respond to the Epic Games boss’ comments, which follow a very public spat after Epic bypassed Google’s Play Store over royalty disputes.

According to Google's terms, Epic would have to give up over 30 per cent of its in-game fees if Fortnite was downloaded through the store, and instead offered the game through its official site and via the installer app.

Professor Steven Murdoch, a security researcher at University College London, told the BBC that the whole episode proves that “when security conflicts with commercial interests, often the commercial interests win but at the cost of the public's safety online”.