Database Info

How safe are used phones?

I am looking to buy a used captivate soon and I had an alarming thought..
To make purchases from google market you do have to enter credit card info..
So what if someone bought the phone, installed monitoring software on the phone, turned around and sold it.. They could break even on cost.. *AND* if they were lucky when someone else went to use the phone.. they would get the cred card info of that person..
And on ebay/craigslist... its not like you could pin it back to the person very easily..
Assuming I bought a phone and master reset it would that fix any possibly problems? I know in windows you reinstalling the OS will usually wipe just about anything out..
However, I know that if you have root.. on a phone you can do far more.. I don't know if having root would be enough to put something on the phone that could not be gotten rid of with a simple master reset.
I am sorry if this sounds paranoid.. But, I am a comp sci major.. Software security isn't my specialty.. but, I am hoping to dev for phones soon and think this is a pretty fair question, since the information is handled differently in linux (and I suppose now android) than it would be on a comp running windows xp for example..
I am asking because i know even after a master reset some things linger on most phones... so if someone installed a keylogger of some sort.. would it be able to survive a master reset?
x.x

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean the're not after you.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Lol... Let me put it this way.. I once read an article hear with some one talking about how he doesn't want "google knowing where he is" and "google reading his mail" ect ect ect.
And I understand privacy concerns.. but, he was well.. reaching the point of flat out goofy.
I am asking based on what I perceive to be a valid fear looking at it from a logical perspective.
If someone installed some sort of keylogger for the phone, would it be able to survive a master reset?
I mean I know that whats on your sim card is not usually deleted.. and I forget if this phone has dedicated or removable memory or some combination of both..
However, assuming its a 16gb removable.. You could hypothetically install it to the flash memory.. If its not removable.. I am less certain how that dedicated storage is handled on phones. I know that you generally format a hard drive before installing an os.. or it gets partitioned off..
So if a logger was installed onto the dedicated/removeable memory would it be partitioned off and allowed to continue working?
If I didn't see valid cause for concern I wouldn't be here.. But, I'm sure the devs around here know more about this and can give a good answer!
If this is all coming to my mind... I'm sure some crazy cracker out there has already thought of and either created/working on implimenting it.

google will nevr read your mail. google is your friend!
if you have a virus on it or think you have, plug it in your computer and scan with av software.
i don't think that a virus could survive master reset.
and why are you worrying about this? ive bought second hand phones before and they have been ok.
try eBay.

You don't seem to have read my thing properly.
What I am trying to say is I have read an thread with a guy who was paranoid google was going to read his mail ect.
What I am saying is I'm worried about a second hand person creating a virus.
I could be wrong but, plugging the phone into a computer would do absolutely nothing as far as antivirus protection if I'm worried about protecting the phone.
The reason why is because anti virus protection only picks up virus's it is designed to pick up.
It is designed to pick up viruses that are a threat to computers.
I would imagine that computer anti virus software would worry about a different set of exploits than a linux based phone.
Making scanning with a computer completely useless.

yes, keylogger can survive hard reset. you have to reflash your phone completely to be sure. or don't provide your credit card number in any market

Hard reset and reflash official software. Everything will be like it just rolled out of the factory.

Pretty silly thing to ask really.
obviosuly if teh key logger was cooked into the rom then a master reset wont do sweet FA as it would simply be re-installed with the rom.
As mentioned your only way is flash the phone with a fresh rom.

[Q] Anti-virus

Hi I just want to ask is it necessary to install a anti-virus on the android phone? do our android really get a virus? just asking for some opinion thanks in advance

Have yet to see a thread "help I have a virus" if that means anything.

There is a virus circulating around the Chinese Market right now and another exploit I've heard of following some people on Twitter. So it's definitely possible to get a virus on our devices.
Put it this way, is it better to wait and not get any antivirus and have the potential of getting virus later, or protect yourself now and cut if off at the pass for when they become more prevalent?
I use Lookout, it works great and doesn't kill my battery or do anything bad to my phone from what I can tell. It's all up to you though.

I see no need whatsoever do do this. If you are not running a custom ROM, then you probably should be. And if you are willing to flash a ROM, then you have a sure way of removing viruses if you do something stupid enough to get one.
There are probably a lot more exploits for Andorid than viruses (like buffer overflows via SMS, etc.) and an antivirus will not protect you from that. What it will do is slow down your device, use more data, and reduce your battery life.
When it comes to viruses on your phone, take the Dwight K. Schrute approach: Think to yourself, "Would an idiot do this?". If the answer is yes, do not do that thing. This approach should be way better than antivirus.

fatbas202 said:
I see no need whatsoever do do this. If you are not running a custom ROM, then you probably should be. And if you are willing to flash a ROM, then you have a sure way of removing viruses if you do something stupid enough to get one.
There are probably a lot more exploits for Andorid than viruses (like buffer overflows via SMS, etc.) and an antivirus will not protect you from that. What it will do is slow down your device, use more data, and reduce your battery life.
When it comes to viruses on your phone, take the Dwight K. Schrute approach: Think to yourself, "Would an idiot do this?". If the answer is yes, do not do that thing. This approach should be way better than antivirus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
10 char

Punxx said:
There is a virus circulating around the Chinese Market right now and another exploit I've heard of following some people on Twitter. So it's definitely possible to get a virus on our devices.
Put it this way, is it better to wait and not get any antivirus and have the potential of getting virus later, or protect yourself now and cut if off at the pass for when they become more prevalent?
I use Lookout, it works great and doesn't kill my battery or do anything bad to my phone from what I can tell. It's all up to you though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not trying to be rude but this logic resembles:
Everyday I throw $1.50 in quarters in my front lawn. It keeps the pink elephants from trampling down all my grass. I know it works because I have not had a pink elephant problem yet! ...I haven't actually seen them, but I know they are out there...

Punxx said:
There is a virus circulating around the Chinese Market right now and another exploit I've heard of following some people on Twitter. So it's definitely possible to get a virus on our devices.
Put it this way, is it better to wait and not get any antivirus and have the potential of getting virus later, or protect yourself now and cut if off at the pass for when they become more prevalent?
I use Lookout, it works great and doesn't kill my battery or do anything bad to my phone from what I can tell. It's all up to you though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
fatbas202 said:
I see no need whatsoever do do this. If you are not running a custom ROM, then you probably should be. And if you are willing to flash a ROM, then you have a sure way of removing viruses if you do something stupid enough to get one.
There are probably a lot more exploits for Andorid than viruses (like buffer overflows via SMS, etc.) and an antivirus will not protect you from that. What it will do is slow down your device, use more data, and reduce your battery life.
When it comes to viruses on your phone, take the Dwight K. Schrute approach: Think to yourself, "Would an idiot do this?". If the answer is yes, do not do that thing. This approach should be way better than antivirus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Shovelhead84 said:
I am not trying to be rude but this logic resembles:
Everyday I throw $1.50 in quarters in my front lawn. It keeps the pink elephants from trampling down all my grass. I know it works because I have not had a pink elephant problem yet! ...I haven't actually seen them, but I know they are out there...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@Shovelhead84 - LOL
Honestly, I think both responses use bad logic. In the end it comes down to your comfort level. If you are comfortable using your phone with no A/V software and know how to rebuild/reset if you get a virus, then go for it. If the thought of using any device with an Operation System without A/V makes you squeamish, then put A/V on it.
Personally, I would never run a Windows Desktop OS without A/V and I have never installed A/V on any Linux device I have used (I don't see any need for the overhead when virus writers are not attacking the Linux kernel at this time). But that is my personal preference and does not make it right for anyone else.

I personally don't use any, I use Lookout, but only for the lost device protection, If I'm sideloading anything, I havea pretty good idea of what it is, and like another poster said, I'm sure if something did happen, it's nothing a fresh Odin flash couldn't help. If you don't use one, I wouldn't stress yourself out about it, I think you'd have to go out of your way to find a virus right now.

there are a couple good anti-virus apps out there that are free. Lookout and Dr Web... I've used both - didnt seem to affect the phone much. As i've learned with any computer, its always better to have the anti-virus and not need it, than it is to get a nasty virus and WISH you had it.... back in 2003 I got a virus on my pc (was in the middle of playing Halo) that crashed to my desktop and within about 10 mins half my hdd was gone! (corrupted beyond repair)

"Your Phone Is Too Slow!" in notification

Had a weird thing happen the past couple of days. This is on a bone stock HTC Inspire. I get a star in the notification area. When I expand the notification it says 'Your phone is running too slow' or something similar. When I click on it, it takes me to speeddroid.com or somewhere similar. I closed the browser before it could go any further. I looked at the apps and nothing seems out of place. Any thoughts?

NotSoSimple said:
Had a weird thing happen the past couple of days. This is on a bone stock HTC Inspire. I get a star in the notification area. When I expand the notification it says 'Your phone is running too slow' or something similar. When I click on it, it takes me to speeddroid.com or somewhere similar. I closed the browser before it could go any further. I looked at the apps and nothing seems out of place. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you've got an app that's sending ads to your notification bar if you google it you should find some ways to get rid of it
Sent through the power of Cthulhu!

Lovely. The spyware cleaners have migrated from pc's to android phones.
Check your running services also, if you haven't already. If nothing looks out of place in apps, it's probably hiding in services, which probably still could be traced back to some app you've installed.
There's nothing built-in to a bone-stock phone that would do that.

NotSoSimple said:
Had a weird thing happen the past couple of days. This is on a bone stock HTC Inspire. I get a star in the notification area. When I expand the notification it says 'Your phone is running too slow' or something similar. When I click on it, it takes me to speeddroid.com or somewhere similar. I closed the browser before it could go any further. I looked at the apps and nothing seems out of place. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've got malware son

I know that this is malware. Also it is my wifes phone She has had it a week and she has already managed to jack it up. Ive had my Atrix since launch and have had no problems.
I will check the processes and see if I notice anything. She thinks the only adverse thing was accidentally clicking adds in Words with Friends. Tried a couple Anitvirus/Spyware apps from the market but everything said the phone was clean.
Also in her pictures, it downloaded some ads for vodka, and has some buttons for a UI... Very odd.
Edit: AirPush was able to tell me what was sending crap out. Pentris (Not Quite Tetris) was the app. I took a look and sure enough in the market it states it pushes out an ad a day. I showed my wife, told her she needs to read about the apps a bit more. So word to the wise, read about the app before you install!

NotSoSimple said:
I know that this is malware. Also it is my wifes phone She has had it a week and she has already managed to jack it up. Ive had my Atrix since launch and have had no problems.
I will check the processes and see if I notice anything. She thinks the only adverse thing was accidentally clicking adds in Words with Friends. Tried a couple Anitvirus/Spyware apps from the market but everything said the phone was clean.
Also in her pictures, it downloaded some ads for vodka, and has some buttons for a UI... Very odd.
Edit: AirPush was able to tell me what was sending crap out. Pentris (Not Quite Tetris) was the app. I took a look and sure enough in the market it states it pushes out an ad a day. I showed my wife, told her she needs to read about the apps a bit more. So word to the wise, read about the app before you install!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AirPush worked fine I have no more problems with Your phone is running slow. Thanks man
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App

NotSoSimple said:
I know that this is malware. Also it is my wifes phone She has had it a week and she has already managed to jack it up. Ive had my Atrix since launch and have had no problems.
Edit: AirPush was able to tell me what was sending crap out. Pentris (Not Quite Tetris) was the app. I took a look and sure enough in the market it states it pushes out an ad a day. I showed my wife, told her she needs to read about the apps a bit more. So word to the wise, read about the app before you install!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have found with computers and phones alike, that sites/apps/services that are targeted toward women and people in demographics less likely to be tech savvy are riddled with malware. My wife spends 15 minutes on the computer looking for recipes or knitting patterns and the thing is on fire, gasping it's last breath, while I spend huge amounts of time doing things of a highly technical, sometimes questionably legal nature with nary a problem. I guess it's because people who know what they're doing are unlikely to install something "because the internet told me to," so the jerks who make that stuff don't waste their time on our sites. So, all that to say, I try to pay attention to what she's doing. It saves me a ton of time down the road.

stonewallmike said:
I have found with computers and phones alike, that sites/apps/services that are targeted toward women and people in demographics less likely to be tech savvy are riddled with malware. My wife spends 15 minutes on the computer looking for recipes or knitting patterns and the thing is on fire, gasping it's last breath, while I spend huge amounts of time doing things of a highly technical, sometimes questionably legal nature with nary a problem. I guess it's because people who know what they're doing are unlikely to install something "because the internet told me to," so the jerks who make that stuff don't waste their time on our sites. So, all that to say, I try to pay attention to what she's doing. It saves me a ton of time down the road.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1*100! ten characters...

NotSoSimple said:
Had a weird thing happen the past couple of days. This is on a bone stock HTC Inspire. I get a star in the notification area. When I expand the notification it says 'Your phone is running too slow' or something similar. When I click on it, it takes me to speeddroid.com or somewhere similar. I closed the browser before it could go any further. I looked at the apps and nothing seems out of place. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same prob with my phone...
Figured that an app named QR Reader by DrHu was the culprit for my issue
How i figured?
I guess i was just lucky... i clicked the notification, as soon as i clicked it i saw the app name on the taskbar... and i unstalled it! fixed!

[Q] AAHK gave my computer a virus...is my phone safe to use?

I used AAVH from xda forums to root my Inspire 4g. The computer I opened the .zip or whatever it was on got a trojan virus immediately. I cleaned my computer throughly after I realized, but already finished rooting my phone and flashing a rom onto it (jellytime).
Recently, I've been thinking: could my phone now have a virus on it now? Is there anyway to check? Looking at other posts, antivirus like Avast seems to be looked down upon by most users, and unless there's something I'm not aware of, you can't just "completely format" a rooted phone like a computer and do a clean wipe.
I love the rom I'm using, and I think that was clean. I just get paranoid thoughts about whether some virus on my phone I don't know about is sending logging my passwords or some private information about me...
Thoughts? It'd be a shame not to use this phone just because of paranoia

If you downloaded the aahk from aatn1's website, that's all it is, paranoia, nothing else.
Disclaimer: I'm still half asleep so I might have read your post wrong.
Sent from a dream.

inspiremeplz said:
I used AAVH from xda forums to root my Inspire 4g. The computer I opened the .zip or whatever it was on got a trojan virus immediately. I cleaned my computer throughly after I realized, but already finished rooting my phone and flashing a rom onto it (jellytime).
Recently, I've been thinking: could my phone now have a virus on it now? Is there anyway to check? Looking at other posts, antivirus like Avast seems to be looked down upon by most users, and unless there's something I'm not aware of, you can't just "completely format" a rooted phone like a computer and do a clean wipe.
I love the rom I'm using, and I think that was clean. I just get paranoid thoughts about whether some virus on my phone I don't know about is sending logging my passwords or some private information about me...
Thoughts? It'd be a shame not to use this phone just because of paranoia
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Zergrush exploit is always detected as a trojan...in fact is an exploit, but it is safe to use. That is why instructions for the Hack Kit state that antivirus and all other protection softwares must be disabled.
Relax, you have no trojan and your device is safe.

What is best way to make phone literally UNSTEALABLE??

Hi,
Recently my phone got stolen. It was HTC Desire. And I never thought it would happen, so was not prepared for it to happen.
And now in wake of that I was wondering what is the best mechanism available to recover lost phone.
To be precise, I am looking for something which will work even if thief removes the SIM, SDCard, does a factory reset, or install an entirely fresh ROM.
And if it could.. send an SMS/Email to a fixed destination (with phone number and GPS location) upon request/fixed-event in the background, it would be great.
So that virtually, the Phone would be unstealable as long as someone uses it with a new SIM(send SMS) or connects to internet (Email) even after wiping everything clean and installing a fresh ROM.

Complete protection is not possible, unless there is some option from the phone manufacturer build-in.
And I think even that can be circumvented.
However if your phone is rooted, you can install some apps which hide themselves and even survive a factory reset.
Lookout Security & Antivirus
Cerberus anti theft
And I think most thieves are not that smart to flash a new rom.

cool.aquarian said:
Hi,
Recently my phone got stolen. It was HTC Desire. And I never thought it would happen, so was not prepared for it to happen.
And now in wake of that I was wondering what is the best mechanism available to recover lost phone.
To be precise, I am looking for something which will work even if thief removes the SIM, SDCard, does a factory reset, or install an entirely fresh ROM.
And if it could.. send an SMS/Email to a fixed destination (with phone number and GPS location) upon request/fixed-event in the background, it would be great.
So that virtually, the Phone would be unstealable as long as someone uses it with a new SIM(send SMS) or connects to internet (Email) even after wiping everything clean and installing a fresh ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lizard said:
Complete protection is not possible, unless there is some option from the phone manufacturer build-in.
And I think even that can be circumvented.
However if your phone is rooted, you can install some apps which hide themselves and even survive a factory reset.
Lookout Security & Antivirus
Cerberus anti theft
And I think most thieves are not that smart to flash a new rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lizard is right. It's not possible to do what listed. Only way to make it unstealable is to chain it to yourself

It's pretty hard, unless the guy who's steals your phone is a noob
// sent from a galactic Ars Sss

Lizard said:
Complete protection is not possible, unless there is some option from the phone manufacturer build-in.
And I think even that can be circumvented.
However if your phone is rooted, you can install some apps which hide themselves and even survive a factory reset.
And I think most thieves are not that smart to flash a new rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, Thief himself may not be that smart, but where I belong to, stealing phones is a well-known racket.
So they have people who specifically know how to handle stolen phones.
Plus the police/manufacturer/carrier here is not of much help afterwards to track the thief down or block the IMEI.
Thanks for the links. Though they may not be exactly what I am looking for, any level of protection is better than none.
I am hoping someday there could be a better means to have more control/personalization of phone at hardware level.
like permanently associating phone's hardware identity with the online profile of original owner.

Complete protection is not possible..
There are many apps that can give phones position by sending an sms but thief r smart..
First they do is a reset..
Sent from my GT-I9100G using xda app-developers app

I'd say you're looking at this the wrong way. Software to locate a stolen phone is a measure that can only possibly help if your phone has already been stolen.
Better to think about how your phone was stolen and what you can do to prevent that from happening. Stop it being stolen before it is actually out of your hands.

Buy a GPS locator and embed it into the phone physically, if anything small enough is even available to the average consumer...
It would have to be fed power from the battery as well, which is far from impossible of course, but still quite the ordeal.
And since your police is obviously useless, learn to fight or buy a gun
Sent from my GT-I9000 using xda premium

Pennycake said:
Better to think about how your phone was stolen and what you can do to prevent that from happening. Stop it being stolen before it is actually out of your hands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trust me.. in my case, the theft was done in a very planned way by two guys (with one guy distracting me, and other guy snipping-off the phone from within my car at a busy traffic signal...
More than losing the phone, I am pissed about how it all happened..
I was considering teach those fu**ers a good lesson.

Locking your phone in Ft. Knox would still have the potential of disappearing.
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire using xda app-developers app