So, being paranoid about my personal data, I looked into PDroid. Apparently, it requires a custom patch for every ROM that then needs to be flashed before the actual PDroid can be installed.
Is this software worthwhile? Would any ROM devs consider this worthy of baking the required custom patch into their ROMS or is it too much trouble for too little value or interest?
Being new to Android and having never used said software, my interest here is generating some discussion about whether such security packages and attempts are actually effective and valuable or are they more trouble or more an individual reponsibility?
My thought was PDroid with Droidwall would be the best approach to ensuring the maximum security poosible. Thoughts?
Looks like a cool idea but I wonder what the ramifications would be. I bet you lose a lot of the functionality of the apps if you block what they need. I actually think we might all be just a little too paranoid anyway.
Given the compromised found in Android recently and being something I've thought about quite a bit.
"Most" Roms seem to be very rarely updated and if you're using a provider like Straight talk you probably don't get updates anyways.
So, I'm quite curious how Security vulnerabilities are handled? I doubt the Roms are so different that they prevent these flaws from occurring. I'd have to imagine roms may very well introduce new ones.
My thoughts on what the community can do.
I'm not a developer and frankly I'm not into the loop as well as I can be. But, I typically use older phones that aren't getting the support the newer ones are. So, being in the loop of some stuff was never a big concern of mine.
Anyways, first off I'm curious about a security auditing group. A group that can go through the most popular roms of each phone and determine if there are any security concerns. Then this group can offer a label or signing of some kind saying the rom passed the inspection.
Roms like Hyperdrive that have a ton of unique tweaks. Well to me when you are adding and removing things I would naturally assume you probably adding security flaws about as much as you'd remove them.
Security and Privacy is a concern we all have. I imagine that's part of why many people switch to Roms as they remove certain privacy issues and security vulnerabilities.
But, honestly in the community what do we have that really tells us about the security situation of roms and what may be affected by recently discovered issues in Android itself?
Things can legitimately make a rom useless and even a concern to use if it's severe enough.
What about newer people coming in and they start using a rom that's affected?
Thoughts?
Your biggest issue is you can't look at the code for roms. All roms from OEM are closed sourced. All you can focus on is Aosp.
As for security. There will always be security issues. That is just part of a computer based system. That's why any one that is in the loop doesn't keep anything really important on a mobile device.
Hi all, I' m going to install a modded rom on my phone and given that I usually use home banking on it, I was asking me about security of this practice.
Are there differences with stock roms? How can I be sure that no security holes are introduced or backdoors created in them?
I know that this question could sound not very polite o respectful, of course I appreciate the work of developers who are giving us the possibility to get better performance or a longer lifespan from our devices, but imho the general question stands still.
Hi everyone,
I can't find a satisfactory answer on my favorite search engines, so I thought I'd come here and ask. Sorry if this question has already been put on the table, carved, sliced and gobbled, I couldn't find trace of it in the forum's search engine either.
My phone's a Leagoo T5c that will forever be stuck on Android 7.0, it seems, because the OEM has already lost interest, and because its SoC makes it difficult, if not downright impossible, to find a suitable custom ROM.
The latest ROM I could find and install on this phone goes back to August of 2018 (no-no, no typos), and its Security Update is even one month older (July 2018).
My question is in the title: Is it possible to install Security Updates without reinstalling/updating/upgrading the firmware itself, like you would in, say, Windows or any other OS, I presume?
UglyStuff said:
Hi everyone,
I can't find a satisfactory answer on my favorite search engines, so I thought I'd come here and ask. Sorry if this question has already been put on the table, carved, sliced and gobbled, I couldn't find trace of it in the forum's search engine either.
My phone's a Leagoo T5c that will forever be stuck on Android 7.0, it seems, because the OEM has already lost interest, and because its SoC makes it difficult, if not downright impossible, to find a suitable custom ROM.
The latest ROM I could find and install on this phone goes back to August of 2018 (no-no, no typos), and its Security Update is even one month older (July 2018).
My question is in the title: Is it possible to install Security Updates without reinstalling/updating/upgrading the firmware itself, like you would in, say, Windows or any other OS, I presume?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With android 10 were introduced Google play security updates that lets you received security updates (not all of them unfortunately, some requires to upgrade) without updating the full OS. You can't do it because you're stuck with the wrong Android version
Hopefully you won't have any issues with hacking but consider buying a new phone when you'll get a chance
Security updates get rolled out as OTA by OEM/Carrier if they consider it's necessary. You can't force it. Theoretically, all Android smartphones should get around two years of security updates. However, the reality is often very different.
The Leagoo T5c is a small-budget phone what was sold for 99 USD - so more or less a disposable item. You cannot expect OEM/Carrier to have any interest in providing updates for such a phone.
Thank you both for your explanations. I understand that Android works differently when it comes to updating itself, mostly because Google isn't the only party to have a voice in the chapter; still, it's unnerving to see that the end-user is more or less captive anyway.
It kinda defeats the very purpose of an open-source OS, to have to wait for an OEM to release (or not) an update, when you could install the patches yourself.
As for buying another phone, well, as soon as I've got the dough, I will, believe me. Not because I'm dissatisfied with this one, but because I don't like the idea of totting around with a phone that hasn't seen a security update in over two years.
I'm also seriously considering moving to Ubuntu Touch, though there again, my phone's exotic platform could be problematic. Custom ROMs seems to be as complicated an avenue as others, too.
All in all, Android isn't what they sold me: It's not secure, it's not "free", it's just another way to make you shell out bucks for new hardware every couple years.
Android is just iOS without the eye-candy, you ask me...
UglyStuff said:
Thank you both for your explanations. I understand that Android works differently when it comes to updating itself, mostly because Google isn't the only party to have a voice in the chapter; still, it's unnerving to see that the end-user is more or less captive anyway.
It kinda defeats the very purpose of an open-source OS, to have to wait for an OEM to release (or not) an update, when you could install the patches yourself.
As for buying another phone, well, as soon as I've got the dough, I will, believe me. Not because I'm dissatisfied with this one, but because I don't like the idea of totting around with a phone that hasn't seen a security update in over two years.
I'm also seriously considering moving to Ubuntu Touch, though there again, my phone's exotic platform could be problematic. Custom ROMs seems to be as complicated an avenue as others, too.
All in all, Android isn't what they sold me: It's not secure, it's not "free", it's just another way to make you shell out bucks for new hardware every couple years.
Android is just iOS without the eye-candy, you ask me...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android isn't iOS precisely because you can break free from your OEM by flashing a custom ROM. You can develop one for almost any device as long as the OEM releases the kernel source code. And most OEM do (expect for some very unknown phones).
Custom ROMs like GrapheneOS are made to free you from google Services and are truly privacy oriented. And all of that is possible because Android is open source.
Trust me, the Android community has always worked actively to counter aging of their devices (including me).
Just buy a phone with a solid community behind and you'll be able to keep it up to date a looong time
Raiz said:
Android isn't iOS precisely because you can break free from your OEM by flashing a custom ROM. You can develop one for almost any device as long as the OEM releases the kernel source code. And most OEM do (expect for some very unknown phones).
Custom ROMs like GrapheneOS are made to free you from google Services and are truly privacy oriented. And all of that is possible because Android is open source.
Trust me, the Android community has always worked actively to counter aging of their devices (including me).
Just buy a phone with a solid community behind and you'll be able to keep it up to date a looong time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you in principle, but if I must take an example: I have this Early 2006 MacBook Pro with a Core Duo CPU that precludes me from even installing Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion" on it, because the CPU is 32-bit-only, and Lion requires a 64-bit CPU.
The machine itself works very well, albeit a bit slowly, but then it's got only 2 GB of RAM and a 120-GB SSD. When I got fed-up with OS X applications not updating/upgrading and Firefox addons not installing because my copy of Firefox was too old, I partitioned the SSD, installed rEFInd as boot manager, and installed Zorin 15.2 (now 15.3) Lite 32-bit.
I now spend more time on the Linux side of this Mac than on the OS X side, and updating/upgrading it is a breeze, either via the dedicated application or in Terminal. I know there'll be an end-of-the-line there too, someday, but at least I'll keep using this Mac until it truly dies on me, not when Apple tells me it's dead.
This, for me, is the very essence of open-source: Not just the fact that it's free, but that you can revive an old machine and keep it running long after Apple et al have decided that it had gone the way of the dinosaurs.
The same doesn't apply to Android, alas. Here, you must have a compatible SoC/chipset/what-have-you, a Treble-compatible device, you must have this, you must have that...
In the end, only a fraction of Android users really get to enjoy everything their device has to offer for as long as they choose; the others just pop into the nearest phone store, be it brick-and-mortar or cyber, and must produce their credit card.
My question was as much a challenge to myself as anything else. I would really like to learn how Android works, but the tutorials and articles I've found here and there are all a bit cryptic.
That's why I'm regularly prowling this forum, I guess.
"Hunting high and low", as the song goes... :laugh:
yep, good question but google & manufactures are in it for the moola not the users 2 yr old phone.
hiitsrudd said:
yep, good question but google & manufactures are in it for the moola not the users 2 yr old phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't I know it! It's true that even budget phones have decent specs nowadays, still, why dump a perfectly functioning phone simply because you can't update/upgrade the software?
I understand Google's rationale, of course: They invest tons of money year after year after year to keep the whole boat afloat, and they need a steady income. OK. Still, to not be able to keep your phone ***safe*** is a no-go for me.
I'm seriously beginning to think about installing Ubuntu Touch on the device. I think I'm going to try that next weekend.
I'll probably come back here with my eyes red, asking for help in unbricking my phone, though.
Stay tuned! :good:
A followup, if you are mindful of your own security it's conceivable to get more usage of that android. I don't use a banking app, but if need be use a good browser( thats updated of course) And update all often used apps via playstore. I'm still running Oreo on my phone. FYI you iOS ppl need to do critical updates asap
Hi everyone,
let me preface this with saying that I have searched for similar threads to avoid redundant threads, and I didn't find anything similar to this. I apologize in case I somehow missed it and am accidentally making a duplicate thread. That said, let's continue.
I recently got a Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S. I really love the hardware - it's pretty good for its price; the battery capacity is high, I like the 90Hz refresh rate and the AMOLED screen, decent storage capacity, and the 33W fast charging is really cool too.
The software, however, is another story. Firstly, there is a lot of bloatware. Various stores, games, etc. that I never asked for. And even worse, secondly, on every corner there is a privacy violation. Every time I clicked on a different app, I needed to accept a different user agreement, privacy policy, or something similar. The camera app literally requires an internet connection and yet another ToS agreement to use. And I've looked into such an agreement to see what they do, and apparently they reserve the right to look at your screen's displayed contents. What. The. F-
I would really like to use this device as it is an upgrade over my current phone, but man, I'm not using it with the default software. For this reason I came here to ask about which custom ROMs are good for my purposes. I would like something that has few invasive features and other spyware, and is also relatively open for customization and such as I like to be in control of the hardware I own.
Thanks in advance for any replies.
I have yet to find a device specific ROM for this phone. Apparently they're hard to develop because the chip manufacturer (Mediatek) doesn't release their source code? You could try a GSI but that's beyond my skillset.
To make me feel a bit better about my privacy I've used Debloater to uninstall the bloat that I don't want on the phone at all. I then use AFWall+ to block the apps that I want to use but don't trust from accessing the internet.
Note that this requires rooting your phone, but that's straightforward these days.
Hi, thanks for the reply.
I'm new to the community. Could you please explain me what a GSI is?
Those things sound like a good idea for the time being. I'll look into them when I have more time. As for rooting, I'm sure there's countless of guides out there. If you know a good one I'd appreciate it, but I'm sure that out of everything, this is the one thing I'll easily manage myself.
Though while this is a good temporary solution, I still feel uneasy about it as it's not necessarily specific apps, but the OS itself that does the spying, so I think I'll wait and see if someone else replies with more suggestions. Perhaps someone in this forum is some kind of custom ROM genius. Despite that, I really appreciate your reply and not getting judged for being new. Have a nice day/evening/morning (depending on your time zone).
A GSI is a Generic System Image - basically it's a ROM that isn't tailored to a specific device, but will broadly work on any device. However this means that it's likely to be a little bit buggy on most devices. I don't know much about GSIs, but I'm sure there are threads on here.
I believe that the only Android 11 GSI that is still maintained is the Google GSI. You'd want the aosp_arm64_ab build for this device I think. I have no idea how well this would work, I don't even know how you'd flash it!
This is my guide for rooting this phone, it's pretty straightforward I think, once you've got the bootloader unlocked.
Root POCO M4 Pro 4G (fleur) using Magisk
Rooting the POCO M4 Pro 4G (fleur) turned out to be quite straightforward. Note, I have a 2201117PG (EEA), you may have a different experience, it's not my fault if you brick your phone etc. Backup before you start as this will wipe your phone...
forum.xda-developers.com
Well, if - as it seems - the device support GSI builds, you can go with \e\ (aka deGoogled-Lineage):
Topics tagged gsi
Topics tagged gsi
community.e.foundation
No custom rom due to mediatek chipset , should have bought snapdragon device
Aj_$tyle$ said:
No custom rom due to mediatek chipset , should have bought snapdragon device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BTW Generic System Images works on *any* treble-compatible (= Android 8+) SoC...
forart.eu said:
BTW Generic System Images works on *any* treble-compatible (= Android 8+) SoC...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GSI has bugs in poco m4 pro
Aj_$tyle$ said:
GSI has bugs in poco m4 pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What bug?
Aj_$tyle$ said:
GSI has bugs in poco m4 pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please report @ \e\ community then:
GSI
Find details about the work done and progress made on Generic System Image (GSI) for /e/ in this section.
community.e.foundation
Gliese 832 c said:
Hi everyone,
let me preface this with saying that I have searched for similar threads to avoid redundant threads, and I didn't find anything similar to this. I apologize in case I somehow missed it and am accidentally making a duplicate thread. That said, let's continue.
I recently got a Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S. I really love the hardware - it's pretty good for its price; the battery capacity is high, I like the 90Hz refresh rate and the AMOLED screen, decent storage capacity, and the 33W fast charging is really cool too.
The software, however, is another story. Firstly, there is a lot of bloatware. Various stores, games, etc. that I never asked for. And even worse, secondly, on every corner there is a privacy violation. Every time I clicked on a different app, I needed to accept a different user agreement, privacy policy, or something similar. The camera app literally requires an internet connection and yet another ToS agreement to use. And I've looked into such an agreement to see what they do, and apparently they reserve the right to look at your screen's displayed contents. What. The. F-
I would really like to use this device as it is an upgrade over my current phone, but man, I'm not using it with the default software. For this reason I came here to ask about which custom ROMs are good for my purposes. I would like something that has few invasive features and other spyware, and is also relatively open for customization and such as I like to be in control of the hardware I own.
Thanks in advance for any replies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The most privacy friendly rom is GrapheneOS but it only supports Pixel devices sadly.