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HI All,
has anyone used the Data Encryption feature on the TF? Are there any known issues? I want to be able to secure my personal data and also my work data stored on my TF.
I was too afraid as every encryption software we have tried in my company has caused performance hits. It's probably the same with the TF.
Kilmar said:
I was too afraid as every encryption software we have tried in my company has caused performance hits. It's probably the same with the TF.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's exactly what I was afraid of too... But there has to be another way to protect my private data and work data...
Mike
I don't think encryption should cause any performance issues. The storage should be decrypted upon boot and then behave normally. That's how laptop full disk encryption works anyway, no performance hit.
The only downside I can see is issues with recovery software etc...
I'm not sure what it encrypts exactly. Maybe just user data? Just the SD card? Full flash?
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App
csmall said:
I don't think encryption should cause any performance issues. The storage should be decrypted upon boot and then behave normally. That's how laptop full disk encryption works anyway, no performance hit.
The only downside I can see is issues with recovery software etc...
I'm not sure what it encrypts exactly. Maybe just user data? Just the SD card? Full flash?
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mind if i ask you where you got this information? it doesn't really make any sense. decrypting an entire drive would be incredibly slow.
finalhit said:
mind if i ask you where you got this information? it doesn't really make any sense. decrypting an entire drive would be incredibly slow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You wouldn't decrypt the entire volume at once though, just what you were trying to access.
You don't actually have to decrypt the disk to access it. It has the key so it can just gain access. The drive is still encrypted, you just can access it. I may not be wording it properly.
Actually decrypting a disk will take time yes. But that isn't the case with accessing it.
that's how i understand encryption works. the password you use merely unlocks the key which is used to decrypt files on demand. of course, the decryption does take a toll on performance, especially on system files that get accessed often.
so it wouldn't be completely without a performance hit.
i do use full encryption on my ubuntu install (i believe including swap) and although it's not noticeable most of the time, i think when things get busy, i does add some overhead.
Hey there. Can't find any info about encryption and what it brings, so I'll just fire away a few questions about details for that matter. Not that I'm so obsessed with security, more like just curious about the possibility. And keeping things under protection is nice when dealing with business stuff.
What encryption brings? Only data in encrypted, or apps/system too?
Would someone be able to get something from TF by connecting it to a PC? Or he will fail even using ADB or nvflash?
How secure we're speaking about? Any info on encryption method and key length in bits.
If I forget my password, or any other weird thing happen, could I reset it with nvflash, loading new clean images? Maybe encrypted volumes are handled differently, and it's not so easy...
Clockwork Recovery. Would it work perfectly fine with encrypted tablet?
Custom ROMs (like Prime!). Any possible problems when messing with system files without total wipe?
Performance. How bad it could be affected? I'm not sure Tegra2 has RSA-optimized module built-in (or whatever method it's using).
Unlocking. Will I be prompted to enter password every time I see unlock screen, or only when I reboot?
Any known limitations, like password length (I like to set long passwords, it's more efficient and easier to remember).
Bump - heard that HC 3.2 enabled encryption at last. Anyone tried it and can answer any of my questions?
Never done it myself, but from information I read:
tixed said:
Hey there. Can't find any info about encryption and what it brings, so I'll just fire away a few questions about details for that matter. Not that I'm so obsessed with security, more like just curious about the possibility. And keeping things under protection is nice when dealing with business stuff.
What encryption brings? Only data in encrypted, or apps/system too?
Would someone be able to get something from TF by connecting it to a PC? Or he will fail even using ADB or nvflash?
How secure we're speaking about? Any info on encryption method and key length in bits.
If I forget my password, or any other weird thing happen, could I reset it with nvflash, loading new clean images? Maybe encrypted volumes are handled differently, and it's not so easy...
Clockwork Recovery. Would it work perfectly fine with encrypted tablet?
I guess this should be fine.
Custom ROMs (like Prime!). Any possible problems when messing with system files without total wipe?
Performance. How bad it could be affected? I'm not sure Tegra2 has RSA-optimized module built-in (or whatever method it's using).
I read that this would have lesser performance since it has to be decrypted on fly and also affects battery.
Unlocking. Will I be prompted to enter password every time I see unlock screen, or only when I reboot?
I guess every time when you unlock.
Any known limitations, like password length (I like to set long passwords, it's more efficient and easier to remember).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found THIS little tid bit after a Google search.
I do know that it does NOT encrypt your removable MicroSD card or SD card. The encryption can take a considerable amount of time to encrypt all your data (1 to 3 hrs and has to be powered on and at 100%). It will require a PIN or Password prompt at power on and possibly for other data sensitive action. It will also allow for password mining which is the process by which you are required to reenter a new password after so long. Also once you encrypt the only way back is a factory reset. If you lose your PIN or Password your SOL about getting your sensitive data back.
You might be better off using an app that can encrypt individual files that you choose.
Cheers...
tixed said:
What encryption brings? Only data in encrypted, or apps/system too?
Would someone be able to get something from TF by connecting it to a PC? Or he will fail even using ADB or nvflash?
How secure we're speaking about? Any info on encryption method and key length in bits.
If I forget my password, or any other weird thing happen, could I reset it with nvflash, loading new clean images? Maybe encrypted volumes are handled differently, and it's not so easy...
Clockwork Recovery. Would it work perfectly fine with encrypted tablet?
Custom ROMs (like Prime!). Any possible problems when messing with system files without total wipe?
Performance. How bad it could be affected? I'm not sure Tegra2 has RSA-optimized module built-in (or whatever method it's using).
Unlocking. Will I be prompted to enter password every time I see unlock screen, or only when I reboot?
Any known limitations, like password length (I like to set long passwords, it's more efficient and easier to remember).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had a brief experience with encryption before I wiped back to stock. I would strongly recommend against it unless you wish to stick to a stock system and very much need that type of security. From what I remember of my experience:
The data partition is encrypted (not sure what else, but not MicroSD). When your device boots, a prompt that somewhat resembles a lockscreen pops fairly early on when the OS attempts to mount those partition(s). Thereafter, everything is accessible as usual; you can grab things via ADB. You do not have to constantly enter the password (though you would probably want to lockscreen your device as general good practice). As to what nvflash would get you, I'm not sure, since that would be before the partition mount...probably nothing usable. The problem with having an encrypted partition is that CWM at moment can't really do anything useful to those partitions. You cannot flash, backup, or restore via CWM. This means your ability to work with custom ROMs is effectively crippled. In fact, to undo the encryption (or if you forget your password), I had to nvflash back to stock. Factory reset via CWM cannot be done since, again, the partitions are still encrypted.
If in the future, CWM is able to access the partitions like the stock recovery can, then you'd be fine. Performance was not noticeably slower in anyway.
Thanks for the replies. This feature seems pretty grim at the moment. Well, we can all hope that Google and ASUS will update it properly. At least, they did a lot of good updates recently.
I have thus far been unable to find the information I'm looking for in regards to full disk encryption for Android. When you encrypt the drive, Android uses the same password used for unlocking your phone. There are methods out there to defeat the lock screen. Does this bypass encryption as well?
I assume that if it's really encrypted then getting around the lock screen without the appropriate password/key combination would result in you being unable to access the data. If this is not the case then the question becomes whether or not the data can be considered encrypted while the hard drive remains on the phone.
Anyone have any practical knowledge of this, and of whether the key for turning the phone on is the same as for unlocking the phone? I would appreciate any input toward this discussion. Thank you!
-E
emccalment said:
I have thus far been unable to find the information I'm looking for in regards to full disk encryption for Android. When you encrypt the drive, Android uses the same password used for unlocking your phone. There are methods out there to defeat the lock screen. Does this bypass encryption as well?
I assume that if it's really encrypted then getting around the lock screen without the appropriate password/key combination would result in you being unable to access the data. If this is not the case then the question becomes whether or not the data can be considered encrypted while the hard drive remains on the phone.
Anyone have any practical knowledge of this, and of whether the key for turning the phone on is the same as for unlocking the phone? I would appreciate any input toward this discussion. Thank you!
-E
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, to be clear, any encryption can be bypassed. If the password is weak, then there is no issue and can be done in no time, if the password is strong (capital letters, numbers, symbols), then a brute-force attack can take years! Said that, you have to understand that Android devices has weaknesses, like every other device, and out there are also companies that guarantee they can decrypt any android device. Another way to decrypt an Android device is freezing the device at -10c (yes physically and no is not a joke). Researchers has demonstrated that if you freeze the device, and quickly disconnected and reconnected the battery will put the device in a vulnerable loophole. Even if encryption means data altering, and it requires a key to access/restore the data, this behavior probable occurs because the low temperatures causes data to fade from internal chips more slowly. That way is possible to obtain encryption keys and unscramble the phone's encrypted data. So, to reply to your question, yes, someone with enough knowledge can bypass your encryption.
Hey, thank you for your response! I read the article about bypassing encryption by slowing the rate of RAM fade and using FROST. I have a few minor follow on questions about that, however I'm not terribly concerned with tracking that down. I'm doing some research for a project, and I've just run out of time basically, so I can't try everything.
So, I know that it can be bypassed. I also know that you can run a kernel called Armored that supposedly keeps the keys for your encryption on the CPU instead of RAM, which supposedly shuts down cold boot attacks. I think that's a bit extreme for everyday situations, but it's there. I'm more curious about the authentication mechanism for the encryption I guess. It's ran through AES128, then salted with SHA, if I remember what I read. So without encryption, if you bypass the password, you're in. I'm curious, if you were to be able to bypass the encryption password (without actually getting it right). Would the system let you in, but leave everything encrypted and unreadable since you didn't provide the appropriate credentials?
-E
emccalment said:
Hey, thank you for your response! I read the article about bypassing encryption by slowing the rate of RAM fade and using FROST. I have a few minor follow on questions about that, however I'm not terribly concerned with tracking that down. I'm doing some research for a project, and I've just run out of time basically, so I can't try everything.
So, I know that it can be bypassed. I also know that you can run a kernel called Armored that supposedly keeps the keys for your encryption on the CPU instead of RAM, which supposedly shuts down cold boot attacks. I think that's a bit extreme for everyday situations, but it's there. I'm more curious about the authentication mechanism for the encryption I guess. It's ran through AES128, then salted with SHA, if I remember what I read. So without encryption, if you bypass the password, you're in. I'm curious, if you were to be able to bypass the encryption password (without actually getting it right). Would the system let you in, but leave everything encrypted and unreadable since you didn't provide the appropriate credentials?
-E
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Encryption is carried out at boot time. After the device has booted, a lockscreen bypass will yield full access to the device's data. Encryption only protects your data when the phone isn't turned on, effectively. Or if you know the adversary won't be able to bypass the lockscreen, and would end up rebooting it without knowing it was encrypted.
pulser_g2 said:
Encryption is carried out at boot time. After the device has booted, a lockscreen bypass will yield full access to the device's data. Encryption only protects your data when the phone isn't turned on, effectively. Or if you know the adversary won't be able to bypass the lockscreen, and would end up rebooting it without knowing it was encrypted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@pulser_g2 +++
Or if you have a tracking software that allows you to shut down your phone remotely... But in that case you may as well wipe your phone remotely.
So I wanted to do the full encryption on my device. Let the device charge, and started the encryption process. The screen went blank, and then a green figure of the android came on the screen and has been there since. Its been almost three hours now? If my phone loses all its data thats ok, but I dont know if a bad encryption could brick the device?
Not sure if this is significant, but I have been on Facebook messenger since my phone was encrypting, and several msgs and text msgs have been showing on the screen?
Any ideas or advice would be great.
The encryption process may take quite a long time; it's not uncommon to see some phones take 6+ hours to encrypt, depending on the internal storage capacity.
AFAIK, Android will encrypt all of the internal storage, even the empty space. So if you have the 64GB version, that's a lot of storage space to encrypt at one go.
I would leave the phone plugged in and running the encryption for at least 24 hours if it's taking a while. It shouldn't take that long, and something might be broken, but better safe than sorry, I suppose.
Interrupting encryption will probably, if not definitely, result in data corruption or loss on the device. Depending on how far along the encryption was, you may end up with a bricked device, but it's pretty much impossible to say for certain what the outcome will be if you interrupt it.
There's a bug in CM11S 33R that broke full device encryption.
Normally, soon as you set a PIN and click encrypt, you will see a green bot, then you phone should restart into the Encryption Progress 1%, 2%, 3%, etc. screen.
As it is right now on CM11S, which is the stock software that the OnePlus One come in, you will see the green bot screen but the damn tying won't restart. OnePlus confirmed this is a bug that should be fixed in next OTA update.
In the mean time, if you unlock your bootloader, encryption will start. Or flash CM11 nightly.
Sorry, might be the wrong thread to ask, but what is the point of encryption, if there is no storage to be removed from this phone?
Send from OnePlus One using Tapatalk
Satras said:
Sorry, might be the wrong thread to ask, but what is the point of encryption, if there is no storage to be removed from this phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone could boot a stolen phone to boatloader, access the partitions (data, internal sd, etc) by adb and copy the contents of your device to an alternate location. One could also flash a custom recovery and create backups and push them over to a pc.
It also seems possible for some devices to unlock the bootloader without wiping data. So there are some unlocked doors, if device is not encrypted.
You can compare it to a WindowsPC -> Just boot from USB-Stick / CD and mount the Harddisk and you can access all of its contents, if device encryption isn't used.
Your should see a percentage indicator when it's encrypting. My 64gb took around an hour or so to finish
nsmart said:
Someone could boot a stolen phone to boatloader, access the partitions (data, internal sd, etc) by adb and copy the contents of your device to an alternate location. One could also flash a custom recovery and create backups and push them over to a pc.
It also seems possible for some devices to unlock the bootloader without wiping data. So there are some unlocked doors, if device is not encrypted.
You can compare it to a WindowsPC -> Just boot from USB-Stick / CD and mount the Harddisk and you can access all of its contents, if device encryption isn't used.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair Point.
So once they fixed the bug, can I do a nandroid Backup and simply test it. If it ain't my cup of tea, can I simply apply the nandroid Backup again and my phone is unencrypted again?
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No, nandroid wont apply over an encrypted partition. It requires the partition to be decrypted first.
Hm, so I need to move the Backups to my computer first.
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Yeh something like that. Worst comes to worst if you forget you can just boot the phone normally and copy SD contents across by USB. Then format and restore nandroid.
I haven't had any issues with encryption, TWRP 2801 fixed it.
Possibly off topic also, sorry, but what are the downsides to full device encryption? Reasons why every isn't doing it? Seems much more secure, although I'm not using it myself at the moment.
Sent via quantum entanglement, focused through my OnePlus One.
Lower performance, less battery life, harder to troubleshoot if it does not boot correctly.
Make sure to have off-site backups when starting the encryption
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As an addendum, on a fast device like our OPO, the performance penalty is negligible. The security benefits far outweigh the costs, as pin locks are easy to defeat and even without, data can be accessed from bootloader/recovery. Remote wipes are not always reliable and for others like me who keep sensitive emails, company info, SSH/GPG keys, it's peace of mind.
It's also rumored that Android 5 will bring by-default encryption.
Strange, you say pin locks are easy to defeat, but isn't this the default for unlocking your encrypted phone?
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I changed my decrypt password to 16+ characters, and screen unlock remains at 4 digits. That way inconvenience is minimized.
There is an app on Play Store to set separate screen unlock / decryption passwords.
SenK9 said:
I changed my decrypt password to 16+ characters, and screen unlock remains at 4 digits. That way inconvenience is minimized.
There is an app on Play Store to set separate screen unlock / decryption passwords.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know if that app will work with TimePIN? I rather like the app, though it's currently removed from play store while developer works on ART issues, because it changes the screen unlock to the current time which enhances the security of the device. I've thought about doing full device encryption previously but that always made me hesitate with the amount of hassle to check it.
I dont know what TimePIN is, but it should be fine. Changing the decryption password doesn't affect the lockscreen pin/password, they are independent.
Now that I'm back on my computer, I can drop some links here.
Cryptfs password changer
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.nick.cryptfs.passwdmanager
This changes the pre-boot decryption password ONLY, not your lockscreen password. It's good for people who want a very secure encryption password, but without the hassle of typing it in each time they unlock the device (by default, Android will use the same for both, which has been a long-debated point).
Manually:
If you want to do it manually, you can configure Android's vold module (https://source.android.com/devices/tech/storage/config.html)
At prompt (with root):
Code:
vdc cryptfs enablecrypt inplace <password>
Security:
I can't find the link, but there was a Github script I ran across that was able to extract the encrypted filesystem header from an Android device in recovery mode, to an attached computer and brute force it. For a 4 digit PIN (which is what many people use), it takes less than a minute on an average home PC.
Hopefully that helps somebody ...
SenK9 said:
Yeh something like that. Worst comes to worst if you forget you can just boot the phone normally and copy SD contents across by USB. Then format and restore nandroid.
I haven't had any issues with encryption, TWRP 2801 fixed it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
twrp 2801 did allow me to encrypt, but the password will not decrypt in twrp. Color me confused.
Sent from my A0001 using XDA Premium HD app
Error message in TWRP?
SenK9 said:
Error message in TWRP?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Password Failed. Please Try Again"
&
"E: Failed to decrypt data"
I have tried changing the password too, and get the same error.
Sent from my A0001 using XDA Premium HD app
Hey guys
I flashed the factory images last night effectively wiping my Nexus 5 and starting from scratch. I did not restore apps and settings either. After I manually installed a bunch of my apps back and changed around a few settings, I decided to enable encryption. However, I don't think it enabled properly.
First, I had not set a PIN lock on my phone yet at the time.
When I decided to enable encryption and go through the process, it didn't ask me to enter a PIN.
It seemingly completed encrypting the phone. When I go back to the security menu, it says "Encrypted".
However, I am not prompted to enter a PIN upon booting the phone (not talking about the lock screen PIN).
So, it seems like it didn't work but I'm not sure. Has anyone else enabled encryption yet?
and yes, I saw the performance degradation that comes with enabling encryption but I'd rather have the security.
definitely sounds like there's an issue there. Do you have a custom recovery? If so, you could boot into that, pull some data and see if it opens. If it does, yeah its not encrypted.
Not worth mentioning degradation. All encryption always has and always will have performance degradation. It's par for the course
That sounds like a good idea. If it's not encrypted, then I guess the only method is to wipe and reinstall again.
mattkroeder said:
That sounds like a good idea. If it's not encrypted, then I guess the only method is to wipe and reinstall again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think so. You can't reverse the encryption flag without a wipe I dont think
mattkroeder said:
Hey guys
I flashed the factory images last night effectively wiping my Nexus 5 and starting from scratch. I did not restore apps and settings either. After I manually installed a bunch of my apps back and changed around a few settings, I decided to enable encryption. However, I don't think it enabled properly.
First, I had not set a PIN lock on my phone yet at the time.
When I decided to enable encryption and go through the process, it didn't ask me to enter a PIN.
It seemingly completed encrypting the phone. When I go back to the security menu, it says "Encrypted".
However, I am not prompted to enter a PIN upon booting the phone (not talking about the lock screen PIN).
So, it seems like it didn't work but I'm not sure. Has anyone else enabled encryption yet?
and yes, I saw the performance degradation that comes with enabling encryption but I'd rather have the security.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure, but i think it's designed to works just like that, the encryption key is not the PIN anymore but something (random?) that is stored somewhere on the phone.
that would protect the data in case someone tries to read it directly from the phone's memory, but useless if you don;t have a PIN/PASSWORD.
I avoided encryption before for exactly that reason (requiring a password to boot). If I lose the phone I want the person that found/stole it to be able to at least boot it. if the person is not a thief there's a contact number so they can call me to give it back. if he/she's a thief well, as long as it's on I can call it, track it, wipe it. even brick it.
by not being able to boot it, the chances of getting it back are 0 if the battery dies or is dead!
http://readwrite.com/2014/10/28/google-android-lollipop-encryption-issues
there isn't much info out there about it.
kenshin33 said:
Not sure, but i think it's designed to works just like that, the encryption key is not the PIN anymore but something (random?) that is stored somewhere on the phone.
that would protect the data in case someone tries to read it directly from the phone's memory, but useless if you don;t have a PIN/PASSWORD.
I avoided encryption before for exactly that reason (requiring a password to boot). If I lose the phone I want the person that found/stole it to be able to at least boot it. if the person is not a thief there's a contact number so they can call me to give it back. if he/she's a thief well, as long as it's on I can call it, track it, wipe it. even brick it.
by not being able to boot it, the chances of getting it back are 0 if the battery dies or is dead!
http://readwrite.com/2014/10/28/google-android-lollipop-encryption-issues
there isn't much info out there about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went ahead and wiped the phone again. I reinstalled lollipop and made sure to enable a lockscreen PIN before I enabled encryption. It seems to have encrypted properly. It prompts me for my PIN at boot up now.
You make a good point about encryption making it more difficult for someone to get a hold of me if I lose the phone though.
Same problem here, with Nexus 5 and Android v5
My work Exchange server enforces a security policy to the phone which forces you to enable encryption. So I went ahead and did that, and the email app is still saying that encryption needs to be enabled. When I reboot the phone I never get prompted for a PIN to decrypt the device, yet in the settings screen it says it is encrypted.
I'm going to have to re-flash. Is it possible the issue is caused by leaving the bootloader unlocked? or is this is a bug?
EDIT: Update. Reflashed, but first thing I did was relock the bootloader and enable a security screenlock PIN, *then* encrypted the phone. Now it's prompting me for a PIN on boot and looks like it's worked. Hope the Exchange email policy stays happy this time, as it worked before for about a day before it complained about the lack of encryption
this worked for me also
I did what was stated below and it worked....
1. reflashed,
2. locked bootloader
3. created lock pin
4. encrypted, THEN
5. added MDM control (MAAS360) and exchange email.
It seems to work OK now.
Thanks!
JoyrexJ9 said:
Same problem here, with Nexus 5 and Android v5
My work Exchange server enforces a security policy to the phone which forces you to enable encryption. So I went ahead and did that, and the email app is still saying that encryption needs to be enabled. When I reboot the phone I never get prompted for a PIN to decrypt the device, yet in the settings screen it says it is encrypted.
I'm going to have to re-flash. Is it possible the issue is caused by leaving the bootloader unlocked? or is this is a bug?
EDIT: Update. Reflashed, but first thing I did was relock the bootloader and enable a security screenlock PIN, *then* encrypted the phone. Now it's prompting me for a PIN on boot and looks like it's worked. Hope the Exchange email policy stays happy this time, as it worked before for about a day before it complained about the lack of encryption
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mattkroeder said:
Hey guys
I flashed the factory images last night effectively wiping my Nexus 5 and starting from scratch. I did not restore apps and settings either. After I manually installed a bunch of my apps back and changed around a few settings, I decided to enable encryption. However, I don't think it enabled properly.
First, I had not set a PIN lock on my phone yet at the time.
When I decided to enable encryption and go through the process, it didn't ask me to enter a PIN.
It seemingly completed encrypting the phone. When I go back to the security menu, it says "Encrypted".
However, I am not prompted to enter a PIN upon booting the phone (not talking about the lock screen PIN).
So, it seems like it didn't work but I'm not sure. Has anyone else enabled encryption yet?
and yes, I saw the performance degradation that comes with enabling encryption but I'd rather have the security.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you set up a screen lock pin the phone will ask you then if you would like the PIN to be enabled or not at boot.
kenshin33 said:
Not sure, but i think it's designed to works just like that, the encryption key is not the PIN anymore but something (random?) that is stored somewhere on the phone.
that would protect the data in case someone tries to read it directly from the phone's memory, but useless if you don;t have a PIN/PASSWORD.
I avoided encryption before for exactly that reason (requiring a password to boot). If I lose the phone I want the person that found/stole it to be able to at least boot it. if the person is not a thief there's a contact number so they can call me to give it back. if he/she's a thief well, as long as it's on I can call it, track it, wipe it. even brick it.
by not being able to boot it, the chances of getting it back are 0 if the battery dies or is dead!
http://readwrite.com/2014/10/28/google-android-lollipop-encryption-issues
there isn't much info out there about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for OT, but how can you remotely brick your phone? Just curious in case I ever need to. Don't live in the best of neighborhoods. I can remote wipe, track, take pics. The normal lost/stolen stuff, but I haven't heard of remotely bricking a phone ever.
Nexus 5 still looking to be encrypted
Only a temp fix---Both my Nexus 7, and Nexus 5 just started asked to be encrypted again....
This is still a problem with Lollipop
thegasmaster said:
I did what was stated below and it worked....
1. reflashed,
2. locked bootloader
3. created lock pin
4. encrypted, THEN
5. added MDM control (MAAS360) and exchange email.
It seems to work OK now.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wipe efs partition (I do have a backup on my computer) and the phone is no longer a phone.
Just to be clear, you can enable encryption on Android 5.0, and it will not force you to lock the phone. (Like the PIN screen and boot lock). When you buy a Nexus 6/9 the data partition is encrypted but there's no lock set. The following is from this article;
First, the encryption doesn't help much if you haven't set a passcode. Ludwig said studies have shown that roughly have of users don't set passcodes on their devices, largely because they find it inconvenient to keep entering them dozens of times a day. Lollipop will still encrypt your data, but it will also automatically decrypt it in normal use. So if you don't have a passcode, much of your information will be available to anyone who picks up your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So if you've enabled encryption, and gone through the process, you're phone data partition is encrypted. It's just not locked down until you use some kind of phone lock too. BTW, the article goes on to describe the limited usefulness of having an encrypted data partition and no phone lock;
Lollipop's encryption still offers some limited protection even under those circumstances—for instance, by protecting stored data against anyone who tries to read it directly from the phone's memory. That could shield user passwords and other sensitive data from attackers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As to why Exchange policies don't see the phone as encrypted is probably due to another issue.
Setting PIN to be required at startup after encryption possible fix
I now have my Nexus 5 & 7 working with exchange on Lollipop using this-
1. Reflashed Lollipop
2. Let phone reinstall all my apps
3. Locked bootloader.
4. Set a screen lock PIN
5. Encrypt phone
6. Set screen lock PIN to be required on start up (this was missing before!)
7. Installed MDM control via Mass360-all policies look to be met, including encryption
8. Installed my exchange account via Gmail
//code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=79342
Updated thread with solution
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* It used to be that when I did a reboot or shutdown and restart, I would have to enter a password before the system fully started.
* But now the phone boots into the phone without putting in my password. I can reboot the phone and it will boot all the way to the Lock screen, and I can unlock the lock screen with my fingerprint or my backup password.
* I am concerned that somehow my device is either no longer encrypted or that there is some setting which has stored the boot password.
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Solution :
For those of you who find they have this problem and have not solved it, I found a solution that works, related to a bug (feature?) in Accessibility.
Apologies if this was suggested further in the thread, and that I'm replying to an old post. But I recently had this problem and figured out a solution.
- Accessibility was enabled and for some reason this cached the boot password. So- when I removed the app (rights) and turned off accessibility, and changed (reset/reentered) the password in security settings... On next boot the phone correctly asked me for password.
YMMV.
subs said:
I posted this elsewhere... But I'm having the same problem. Any thoughts? I can post more details, but don't want to repost this everywhere that I see people having the same unresolved problem.
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* It used to be that when I did a reboot or shutdown and restart, I would have to enter a password before the system fully started.
* But now the phone boots into the phone without putting in my password. I can reboot the phone and it will boot all the way to the Lock screen, and I can unlock the lock screen with my fingerprint or my backup password.
* I am concerned that somehow my device is either no longer encrypted or that there is some setting which has stored the boot password.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, please try not to bump threads almost a year old. I realise that it might have taken you a while to actually reach this thread, but hear me out.
Opening a new thread is always better, since software versions, features and devices are most likely different, along with different device usage habits/users.
You say you're having "the same problem"... as.. who exactly? There's a bunch of different specific "issues" that relate to encryption. Be specific.
For instance, you mentioning fingerprint sensor leads me to presume that you are not using a Nexus 5.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk