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[APP] TaintDroid - Realtime Privacy Monitoring

Just read this article via gizmodo and this is definetly a must have for some of us who are paranoid which is just about everyone .
Overview
A joint study by Intel Labs, Penn State, and Duke University has identified that publicly available cell-phone applications from application markets are releasing consumers' private information to online advertisers. Researchers at the participating institutions have developed a realtime monitoring service called TaintDroid that precisely analyses how private information is obtained and released by applications "downloaded" to consumer phones. In a study of 30 popular applications, TaintDroid revealed that 15 send users' geographic location to remote advertisement servers. The study also found that seven of the 30 applications send a unique phone (hardware) identifier, and, in some cases, the phone number and SIM card serial number to developers.
Source:http://www.appanalysis.org/

It´s not released yet. Are there any other similar monitoring apps out there? This was something I´ve been thinking / worrying about since getting my sgs 3 weeks ago...
Near enough every app you install requires / wants at least full internet access. Not sure what private data is accessible, but this is a great source for profiling and could of course be used maliciously.

markwil said:
It´s not released yet. Are there any other similar monitoring apps out there? This was something I´ve been thinking / worrying about since getting my sgs 3 weeks ago...
Near enough every app you install requires / wants at least full internet access. Not sure what private data is accessible, but this is a great source for profiling and could of course be used maliciously.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks like it will be soon.
Where can I get TaintDroid?
We will be making TaintDroid open source. Information to obtain the TaintDroid source code will be posted to this page.

Won't be an APK though, they have updated to say it's need to be built in to the ROM. Source should be realised and nothing stopping the modders from adding to their ROMs.
Update for those interested in installing TaintDroid: Tracking how apps use sensitive information required integrating our software into the Android platform at a low level. As a result, it was not possible to implement TaintDroid as a stand-alone app. Instead, to use TaintDroid you must flash a custom-built firmware to your device, similar to a number of popular community-supported Android ROMs. In the coming days we will open-source our code through a publicly-accessible repository. Please send an email to [email protected] if you are interested in receiving a notification when the source code is available. Thank you for your interest in TaintDroid!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

That works for most off us here who are rooted.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

Sounds interesting, but I have to laugh at the use of the word 'taint'. Was DurfDroid taken?

The source code and instructions for compiling into kernel (Nexus One) are now given at the site:
http://appanalysis.org/download.html
This cannot be installed as an app (.apk), it's a compile into your own kernal effort at this stage.

[INFO REQ] Details on CIQ from DEV's

By now anyone who has an Android phone has heard about CarrierIQ, CIQ or IQAgent. Business Wire in London announced on June 8th:
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Carrier IQ, today announced availability of a new Application Analytics module that will enable mobile operators and device manufacturers to monitor application performance and usage across multiple mobile device platforms, including tablet devices. Carrier IQ’s technology provides mobile network operators and device manufacturers with invaluable insights into the performance of various devices and networks from the user’s perspective. Carrier IQ’s solution is deployed on over 150 million mobile devices including smartphones, feature phones, data cards, radio-equipped devices, downloadable agents and now tablet devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the few who may be scratching their heads wondering what CarrierIQ is...
Steve Topletz, a member of an international group of hackers, human rights workers, lawyers and artists that fights internet censorship and promotes the right to privacy has described it as follows:
Carrier IQ as a platform is designed to collect "metrics" at any
scale. What I found it to hook into is far beyond the scope of
anything a carrier needs - or should want - to be collecting.
Carrier IQ sits in the middle of, and "checks" the data of, SMS and
MMS messages. It listens for and receives every battery change
notifications. It hooks into every web page you view, and every XML
file your device reads. It receives every press of the touch screen.
It 'sees' what you type on the physical keyboard. It reads every
number you press in the dialer. It can track which applications you
use, what 'type' they are, how often, and for how long. It hooks into
data sent and received.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Information on CarrierIQ can also be found in the ACS SFR Epic4G ROM discussion thread and a thread I started requesting information from Epic4G Dev's here.
References to CIQ have been found deeply embedded Epic4G
Code:
Provided by chris41g
to be effectively removed you only need to remove it from 4 files. it is referenced elsewhere scattered throughout... but the four main files are
DialerTabActivity.apk
ext.jar
framework.jar
services.jar
then in the kernels initramfs, you have to disable the service in the init.rc
Provided by mkasick
Here's all the files that reference "CIQ", "carrieriq", or "libiq" with instances unrelated to Carrier IQ removed:
/ (initramfs):
- init: /dev/ttyCIQ0 UART, presumably to communicate with radio.
- init.rc: Start iqmsd service if property:service.iq.active=1.
- lib/modules/dpram.ko: Implements ttyCIQ UARTs.
/system:
- app/DialerTabActivity.odex
- app/FactoryTest.odex
- bin/iqmsd
- framework/ext.odex
- framework/framework.odex
- framework/sec_feature.odex
- framework/services.odex
- lib/libiq_client.so
- lib/libiq_service.so
Of these, bin/iqmsd is a purpose-unknown daemon, and libiq_client.so & libiq_service.so the client & service native code. The client & service managed code is implemented in framework/ext.odex & framework/framework.odex respectively.
In addition, the following framework classes reference Carrier IQ in some fashion:
framework/ext.odex:
- org.apache.http.impl.client.DefaultRequestDirector
framework.framework.odex:
- android.inputmethodservice.InputMethodService
- android.net.http.Request
- android.webkit.{BrowserFrame,CallbackProxy,LoadLis tener,WebViewCore}
- com.android.internal.telephony.SMSDispatcher
framework.services.odex:
- com.android.server.BatteryService
- com.android.server.WindowManagerService
- com.android.server.am.UsageStatsService
Finally, libiq_service.so is used exclusively by framework/framework.odex (com.carrieriq.iqagent.client.NativeClient), and libiq_client.so is used by:
- bin/iqmsd
- framework/ext.odex (com.carrieriq.iqagent.service.IQService)
- lib/libopencore_player.so
Makes you wonder what might be in the closed source.
The Android platform, like Linux, is based on openness. I am calling on all Android developers, programmers, hackers and users to band together as a community and come forward with any information you may have on CarrierIQ.
I am asking all those with the knowledge and resources to delve deeper into this issue to please do so and help spread the truth.
For anyone who wishes to contribute confidentially and anonymously please email:
CIQINVESTIGATION @ VERIZON dot NET

Below are some of the most recent statements made by Sprint in response to questions concerning CarrierIQ:
“The software that is in the Android phones is supplied by Google themselves as well as the manufacturer. We (Sprint) has no control over the actual operating system supplied to us such as the Carrier IQ as it is indigenous to the Android platform.”
“Removing the Carrier IQ software from your Samsung Epic device can void your manufacturer warranty.”
“I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me today. I understand your concerns about the Carrier IQ software and how it can access personal information on the device. As discussed on our call, we are committed to protecting our customers personal information.”
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My questions were directed towards Sprint about CarrieriIQ and the Samsung Galaxy S Epic4G because that is my service and phone. I would love to hear from others on their experiences when questioning their carriers about CarrierIQ on Android phones.
I have contacted CarrierIQ, Inc., Google and Samsung Mobile US requesting comment on the above statements and other direct questions.
I have a quote from a telephone conversation with Samsung technical support that I am hoping to be able to release soon. After receiving the statement in response to a question about CarrierIQ I sought legal advice and was advised to give Samsung Mobile US's PR company, Edelman PR, the opportunity to comment on it prior to making it public.

I received a response yesterday to my questions about the capabilities of CIQ from a group that has disassembled IQAgent & CarrierIQ.
We have actually disassembled IQAgent/carrierIQ and captured its behavior to find exactly what it is sending back to sprint on the samsung optimus phone. The information we found it to collect was basic, such as cell towers, signal strengths, device battery. Nothing alarming on that phone, but Sprint could send a remote update to enable the surveillance features without the owner being aware.
Now while the above statement is about the Optimus, I was able to confirm through another source that IQAgent & CarrierIQ data collection and transmission capabilities are basically set the same across all Sprint Android offerings. (exception Nexus S)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lets recap
IQAgent & CarrierIQ run as a backgroud service on boot.
CarrierIQ logging is set to OFF
CarrierIQ is collecting data and transmitting it on the fly without logging it.
The data CarrierIQ is collecting is basic metrics.
The surveillance capabilities of CarrierIQ can be activated through remote update running in the background at any time by Sprint.
hmmmmmm very interesting.

I am actually quite surprised by the apathy of Android users and consumers in general when it comes to privacy and protecting their personal information.
In just a few months this software has gone from 90 Million installations to over 150 Million across multiple smartphones, feature phones, tablets, etc...
Your next phone will most likely have CarrierIQ or a similarly capable software installed on it unless we make our voices heard now.

DroidActivator - the Open Source anti-piracy system

Hi,
We have developed a new, effective licensing control system for Android called DroidActivator.
It's intended to block piracy and also gives you some interesting opportunities, as licensing your app with an annual renewal fee, apply a subscription model to sell features or contents, protect your app outside GooglePlay, acquire device data, track custom events and more.
It is an Open Source project licensed under LGPL.
You can take a look at the Google Code Project Page (code.google.com/p/droidactivator) and to the project web site ([www].droidactivator.org)
Hope it can help the community!
Have a nice day,
The DroidActivator developers team.

Not quite sure what the point of an open source anti-piracy app. It just allows people to tinker with it and thus bypass it.

A protection system should not rely on hiding its code to be effective.
Any protection can be defeated by a determined pirate.
It's just a matter of making life harder.

algos-dev said:
A protection system should not relay on hiding its code to be effective.
Any protection can be defeated by a determined pirate.
It's just a matter of making life harder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't open source making it easier?

This is an interesting topic.
You are right lambstone: looking at the source can help you cracking the code.
But in my opinion, the point is in the targeted audience.
An open source protection would not be suited for the new angry-birds-whatever but it would be for your medium/high-priced business app.
We have just no technology to avoid piracy. If the app is interesting enough, the pirate will decompile the app, remove the protection, repackage it and share it on the web. In this scenario, if the pirate got helped by looking at the code or struggled a bit more on the binaries doesn't matter so much.
We are not willing to fight this kind of piracy. We just wanted to build a tool to help small software houses to fight "casual" piracy (folks who won't search for and use the crack, but won't hesitate violating the EULA in the absence of technical license protection mechanism) which represents the vast majority of piracy.

lambstone said:
Isn't open source making it easier?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It cuts both ways: more people reviewing the code means that it can be made harder to crack.
Security through obscurity

DroidActivator anti-piracy system updated
DroidActivator, the Open Source anti-piracy system for Android, has been updated.
The backend now features searching in activations and events and generates activation codes automatically. The GUI has also been restyled using CSS.
If you are interested, have a look at the Google Code project page [code.google.com/p/droidactivator] or at DroidActivator's web site [3w.droidactivator.org]
Thank You,
DroidActivator's development team

Juniper Networks study reveals how dangerous Android is to our privacy

Okay, so, I summed up some 5 articles on this subject - in the hope of starting a discussion about device security. I hope you will find this interesting and meaningful and perhaps you will find out about some of the risks of using Android.
2 months ago Juniper Networks, one of the two biggest network equipment manufactures, published a blog post (1) about an intensive research their mobile threat department had on the Android market place.
In essence they analyzed over 1.7 million apps in Google Play, revealing frightening results and prompting a hard reality check for all of us.
One of the worrying findings is that a significant number of applications contain capabilities that could expose sensitive information to 3rd parties. For example, neither Apple nor Google requires apps to ask permission to access some forms of the device ID, or to send it to outsiders. A Wall Street Journal examination (2) of 101 popular Android (and iPhone) apps found that showed that 56 — that's half — of the apps tested transmitted the phone's unique device ID to other companies without users' awareness or consent. 47 apps — again, almost a half — transmitted the phone's location to other companies.
That means that the apps installed in your phone are 50% likely to clandestinely collect and sell information about you without your knowledge nor your consent. For example when you give permission to an app to see your location, most apps don't disclose if they will pass the location to ad companies.
Moving on to more severe Android vulnerabilities. Many applications perform functions not needed for the apps to work — and they do it under the radar! The lack of transparency about who is collecting information and how it is used is a big problem for us.
Juniper warns, that some apps request permission to clandestinely initiate outgoing calls, send SMS messages and use a device camera. An application that can clandestinely initiate a phone call could be used to silently listen to ambient conversations within hearing distance of a mobile device. I am of course talking about the famous and infamous US Navy PlaceRaider (3).
Thankfully the Navy hasn't released this code but who knows if someone hadn't already jumped on the wagon and started making their own pocket sp?. CIO magazine (4) somewhat reassures us though, that the "highly curated nature of [smartphone] application stores makes it far less likely that such an app would "sneak through" and be available for download."
A summary by The Register (5) of the Juniper Networks audit reads that Juniper discovered that free applications are five times more likely to track user location and a whopping 314 percent more likely to access user address books than paid counterparts. 314%!!!
1 in 40 (2.64%) of free apps request permission to send text messages without notifying users, 5.53 per cent of free apps have permission to access the device camera and 6.4 per cent of free apps have permission to clandestinely initiate background calls. Who knows, someone might just be recording you right now, or submitting your photo to some covert database in Czech Republic — without you even knowing that your personal identity is being compromised.
Google, by the way, is the biggest data recipient — so says The Wall Street Journal. Its AdMob, AdSense, Analytics and DoubleClick units collected data from 40% of the apps they audited. Google's main mobile-ad network is AdMob, which lets advertisers target phone users by location, type of device and "demographic data," including gender or age group.
To quote the The Register on the subjec, the issue of mobile app privacy is not new. However Juniper's research is one of the most comprehensive looks at the state of privacy across the entire Google Android application ecosystem. Don't get me wrong. I love using Google's services and I appreciate the positive effect this company has had over how I live my life. However, with a shady reputation like Google's and with it's troubling attitude towards privacy (Google Maps/Earth, Picasa's nonexistent privacy and the list goes on) I sincerely hope that after reading this you will at least think twice before installing any app.
Links: (please excuse my links I'm a new user and cannot post links)
(1) forums.juniper net/t5/Security-Mobility-Now/Exposing-Your-Personal-Information-There-s-An-App-for-That/ba-p/166058
(2) online.wsj com/article/SB10001424052748704694004576020083703574602.html
(3) technologyreview com/view/509116/best-of-2012-placeraider-the-military-smartphone-malware-designed-to-steal-your-life/
(4) cio com/article/718580/PlaceRaider_Shows_Why_Android_Phones_Are_a_Major_Security_Risk?page=2&taxonomyId=3067
(5) theregister co.uk/2012/11/01/android_app_privacy_audit/
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Now I am proposing a discussion. Starting with - do we have the possibility to monitor device activity on the phone? By monitoring device activity, such as outgoing SMSs and phone calls in the background, the camera functions and so on we can tell if our phone is being abused under the radar and against our consent. What do you think?
.

I am finding it sad and troubling but even more so ironic that nobody here cares about this stuff.

Pdroid allows you to tailor your apps and what permissions your device actually allows on a per app basis. Requires some setup, and the GUI is nothing fancy.. but for those worried about permissions, it is quite ideal.
Edit : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1357056
Great project, be sure to thank the dev
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

DontPushButtons said:
Pdroid allows you to tailor your apps and what permissions your device actually allows on a per app basis
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds good for a start, I'll look it up

pilau said:
Sounds good for a start, I'll look it up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, so I looked it up, and Pdroid does look like a fantastic solution to control what apps have access to what information on your droid.
However, it doesn't cover monitoring hardware functions such as texts being sent, calls being placed etc. as described in the OP. Besides, it only works in Gingerbread as far as I could gather.
EDIT: looking at PDroid 2.0, it does exactly what I originally asked

pilau said:
Okay, so I looked it up, and Pdroid does look like a fantastic solution a control what apps have access to what information on you droid.
However, it doesn't cover monitoring hardware functions such as texts being sent, calls being placed etc. as described in the OP. Besides, it only works in Gingerbread as far as I could gather.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually first found out about it on an ics rom, so it's definitely not just gb. As for monitoring, no clue. Any sort of extra process logging would likely bog down resources or space eventually.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

DontPushButtons said:
Any sort of extra process logging would likely bog down resources or space eventually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely wouldn't know. This solution looks very complicated in first impression but on the Google play page it says 100% no performance effects.
Anyway, I looked up PDroid 2.0 here on XDA, which is the rightful successor of the original app. It does everything the original app does and also monitors many device activities! Here is the full list of features. I would add a working link but I'm still a n00b and I am restricted from doing so. Sigh....
forum.xda-developers com/showthread.php?t=1923576
PDroid 2.0 allows blocking access for any installed application to the following data separately:
Device ID (IMEI/MEID/ESN)
Subscriber ID (IMSI)
SIM serial (ICCID)
Phone and mailbox number
Incoming call number
Outgoing call number
GPS location
Network location
List of accounts (including your google e-mail address)
Account auth tokens
Contacts
Call logs
Calendar
SMS
MMS
Browser bookmarks and history
System logs
SIM info (operator, country)
Network info (operator, country)
IP Tables(until now only for Java process)
Android ID
Call Phone
Send SMS
Send MMS
Record Audio
Access Camera
Force online state (fake online state to permanent online)
Wifi Info
ICC Access (integrated circuit-card access, for reading/writing sms on ICC)
Switch network state (e.g. mobile network)
Switch Wifi State
Start on Boot (prevents that application gets the INTENT_BOOT_COMPLETE Broadcast)

I've always had the luxury of someone else integrating it into the Rom, then I just had to set it up through the app. It is time-consuming, but not very difficult at all. I say give it a shot and see if that's what you had in mind. Maybe the logging is less detrimental than I had previously thought.
I'm sure you could get your post count up by asking for some tips in that thread. Every forum on xda has at least one person that's EXCESSIVELY helpful, frequently more. So have a ball
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

Mission Impossible: Hardening Android for Security and Privacy

Executive Summary
The future is here, and ahead of schedule. Come join us, the weather's nice.
This blog post describes the installation and configuration of a prototype of a secure, full-featured, Android telecommunications device with full Tor support, individual application firewalling, true cell network baseband isolation, and optional ZRTP encrypted voice and video support (ZRTP does run over UDP which is not yet possible to send over Tor, but we are able to send SIP account login and call setup over Tor independently).
Aside from a handful of binary blobs to manage the device firmware and graphics acceleration, the entire system can be assembled (and recompiled) using only FOSS components. However, as an added bonus, we will describe how to handle the Google Play store as well, to mitigate the two infamous Google Play Backdoors.
Introduction
Android is the most popular mobile platform in the world, with a wide variety of applications, including many applications that aid in communications security, censorship circumvention, and activist organization. Moreover, the core of the Android platform is Open Source, auditable, and modifiable by anyone.
Unfortunately though, mobile devices in general and Android devices in particular have not been designed with privacy in mind. In fact, they've seemingly been designed with nearly the opposite goal: to make it easy for third parties, telecommunications companies, sophisticated state-sized adversaries, and even random hackers to extract all manner of personal information from the user. This includes the full content of personal communications with business partners and loved ones. Worse still, by default, the user is given very little in the way of control or even informed consent about what information is being collected and how.
This post aims to address this, but we must first admit we stand on the shoulders of giants. Organizations like Cyanogen, F-Droid, the Guardian Project, and many others have done a great deal of work to try to improve this situation by restoring control of Android devices to the user, and to ensure the integrity of our personal communications. However, all of these projects have shortcomings and often leave gaps in what they provide and protect. Even in cases where proper security and privacy features exist, they typically require extensive configuration to use safely, securely, and correctly.
This blog post enumerates and documents these gaps, describes workarounds for serious shortcomings, and provides suggestions for future work.
It is also meant to serve as a HOWTO to walk interested, technically capable people through the end-to-end installation and configuration of a prototype of a secure and private Android device, where access to the network is restricted to an approved list of applications, and all traffic is routed through the Tor network.
It is our hope that this work can be replicated and eventually fully automated, given a good UI, and rolled into a single ROM or ROM addon package for ease of use. Ultimately, there is no reason why this system could not become a full fledged off the shelf product, given proper hardware support and good UI for the more technical bits.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://blog.torproject.org/blog/mission-impossible-hardening-android-security-and-privacy

Pretty much what Guardian ROM is doing. I look forward to all the new builds
Truth. Transparency. Technology