Anyone who wants to play Fortnite: Battle Royale on their Android device must use an installer provided by Epic. This installer initially had a dangerous security flaw that was discovered by Google.
Fortnite: Battle Royale is finally available for Android devices. However, the game cannot be installed through Google’s Play Store, but rather through a special installer provided by Epic Games.
Installer with serious security flaw: The installer only performs rudimentary checks on which file is to be installed on the device. Anyone with malicious intent could easily intervene here and install any app specified on someone else’s device.
Considering that Fortnite: Battle Royale attracts millions of viewers, some hackers might well have been inclined to take the trouble. The vulnerability was discovered by Google, whose Play Store Epic Games has avoided for cost reasons.
There is tension between Epic and Google
Google discovers the security flaw: Google’s security team made Epic aware of the problem on August 15, after which Epic pushed out a security update. Typically, after a vulnerability is discovered, there is a 90-day wait period to allow all users to update their devices accordingly.
However, Google rejected this and made the security flaw public after just 7 days – much to the annoyance of Epic, who accuses Google of conducting anti-PR and endangering players’ devices that have not yet updated the installer.
The dispute is likely over financial interests: Google is upset that Epic decided not to distribute Fortnite through Google’s Play Store. This would have secured Google 30% of all revenue from the game.
Additionally, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney stated before the launch of Fortnite on the Android platform that “middlemen” like Google were no longer “necessary.” The fact that Google precisely discovered this serious security flaw is somewhat ironic.
You can also find “Fortnite” in Google’s Play Store: The fact that Epic is bypassing the Play Store has another unpleasant side: Maliciously coded apps with the name “Fortnite” are appearing in the Play Store, which you should absolutely not download!
These applications will only damage your devices; Fortnite itself is not available through Google’s Play Store.
Can you understand Epic’s frustration? Or was it right for Google to point out the flaw so early?
