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I switched to linux on all my computers to "avoid" viruses and have peace of mind. With my complete rom backups, do I need to have another memory hogging app (anti-virus) running in the background of my phone and tablet? I'm just really curious why it would be needed...
There are quite a few Anti Virus apps available, but I haven't heard of any Viruses!
Once there is confirmed news of a Virus attack on Android, I will install an app
No, anti-virus in not needed on Android. It is Linux-based and keeps apps running in their own sandbox. Just be careful about what apps you give superuser permissions (if you have your device rooted).
One possible area of concern may be when you do hook up your device with a Windows PC over USB, your SD card may get infected and in turn infect other PCs. But Windows viruses have no influence on your Android system itself.
You don't need an anti-virus application on Android. There are no viruses for Android (as of yet) that will infect your system without you explicitly giving it permission to do so. If you do not have a rooted device, the potential damage that can be caused by a malicious application is quite limited (but it could still run your phone bill up, for example). There have been some web scripts in the past that allowed access to your phone's SD card, but these security holes have been fixed in the latest builds of Android.
The best course of action is to be smart about what you install. Always look at the permissions that an application requests before you install it. There are also several permission managers available on the market. These applications require root access, and will block other applications in the system from being able to request certain intents (i.e. starting the camera, or phone)
workdowg said:
I switched to linux on all my computers to "avoid" viruses and have peace of mind. With my complete rom backups, do I need to have another memory hogging app (anti-virus) running in the background of my phone and tablet? I'm just really curious why it would be needed...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That topic comes up a lot, and is hotly debated. Here's one article that discusses the issue, and gives some advice:
Avoiding Malicious Apps
I have installed one..but never found a virus...so I think we don`t need it
definitely not needed.
yeah there is definitely no need for anti-virus.
but be cautious of some apps that install apps ads in your notification bar. it gets annoying.
Thanks all! I was certain that was going to be the consensus. In my "windows years", about 20, I never got anything more than some adware. Just need to be observant and wary. Some things that are "free" cost more in the end.
Here i present the Mother of All Hosts file out there for you to prevent Stupid ADs, Crazy Malware and Spyware and other Nonsense Unwanted Parasites in your SGS2 Baby.
NOTE: This 'hosts' file is compatible with any Android Operating Environment. Everything Is Linux
> What is a 'hosts' file? What it Does? Whats in it for Me?
The 'hosts' file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names and loaded into memory (cache) at startup. Android OS checks the 'hosts' file before it queries any DNS servers, which enables it to override addresses in the DNS. This prevents access to the listed sites by redirecting any connection attempts back to the localhost (127.0.0.1), which is a loopback and traffic is dropped instantly (saving your millions of money used my network traffic 2G/3G/4G). Another feature of the 'hosts' file is its ability to block other applications (bogus applications) from connecting to the Internet, providing the entry exists.
'hosts' file is used to BLOCK ADs, BLOCK Banners, BLOCK 3rd Party Cookies, BLOCK 3rd Party Page Counters, BLOCK Web Bugs, BLOCK Web Hijackers, BLOCK Phishing Sites, BLOCK Malwares, BLOCK Spywares, BLOCK Trackers, BLOCK Unauthorized Application connections to web and BLOCK other Malicious activities...
This is not 100% Protection but atleast it takes care of MOST OF THE SECURITY ISSUES.
For full Security, Use Antivirus or Security Suite from Android Market.
> Performance Issue? Will my device run SLOW?
I am using this 'hosts' file from my chilhood days and never had any performance issue to date, Although you might have a little delay in startup (boot cycle) and then everything will be cool in standby and active mode. I say "Little delay is better than ADs, Malwares and Spywares..."
> Compatibility?
Any Android Release.
> How to install?
You have to be ROOT to copy the 'hosts' file to '/system/etc' and setting the permissions to 'root:root' and '0444' or 'r-r-r'. Reboot SGS2 and That It. ENJOY.
> What is the Updated Cycle?
'hosts' file is updated every 3 months.
> Any Qyeries?
Ok. I am Ready.
Tried it, seems to work fine so far, even blocked an advert in Astro file manager, adfree tends to miss this, so thanks.
Good share. I am going to use it.
How about making a list of all the ip addresses in Google docs and share it. We can update it based on others feedback. A similar approach (in a stone age way ) like adblock plus addon available in browsers.
I think users capable of understanding hosts file, can also modify it
I love this, I didn't expect the banner boxes to disappear too, thought it would just be white.
isn't there a version without adblocking? I don't like removing ads.
virtualflyer said:
isn't there a version without adblocking? I don't like removing ads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A hosts file IS adblocking, so no there won't be
Sent from my ice cream powered Nexus S
About to give this a try, is there an update due as been 4 months since last release?
Is there an Xperia S version?
Oh and an Optimus Me version? I HATE ADS.
Is there any update about this!? Sir?
Bump! [emoji4]
Swiftkeyed from my OPO A0001
Ok, so disclaimer: this isn't the same as Ad Block, some ads will slip through, and there will probably be IE error messages popping up.
However, if you despise adverts and are ready to give feedback, this does block many ads.
So, what we're doing is editing Windows' built-in hosts file to block these addresses at the source.
First, download the hosts file attached here.
Then, browse to "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc" and rename "hosts" to "hosts.old"
Then copy and paste the file you downloaded into the folder, making sure there is no file extension (go to View>show/hide file extensions)
Next, open CMD as admin (start>cmd>right click>run as admin)
Type "net stop dnscache" and hit enter.
After a couple minutes that'll finish.
Type "sc config dnscache start= disabled"
Reboot your Surface (or other device)
You're now (mostly) ad-free! Let me know what you think, and what effects this has on page load speed. (negligible to me, but I'm on a high-speed, slow connections would most benefit.) :good:
HOSTS-file ad blocking is nothing new, but it is a nice trick. However, there are a few problems with the way you suggested doing this:
1) the HOSTS file on Win8 and WRT is protected by Windows Defender, and attempts to modify the mapping for a number of known domains (some of which, annoyingly, are advertising domains) will fail. You will want to add \Windows\System32\drivers\etc\HOSTS to the Excluded Files in Defender.
2) Neither disabling DNS caching nor restarting are needed. Just run the following command: "ipconfig /flushdns" (no quotes). This will wipe the current DNS cache. Disabling the caching entirely will actually degrade performance, as your browser (for example) will need to do a DNS lookup every single time it wants to open a connection to a server, which could be dozens of times per click. Windows will use the HOSTS file just fine while the DNS cache is active. I'm not even *sure* you need to flush it, but it won't hurt.
By the way, for web browsing, a somewhat "nicer" approach to ad-blocking is to use the built-in IE feature of Tracking Protection Lists. You can "get a Tracking Protection List online" and then add EasyList (who also make the most popular block list for AdBlock Plus/AdBlock Edge). Most people don't realize that IE effectively has a built-in ad blocker, and has for a few releases now... Of course, that won't help with ads outside of the browser.
GoodDayToDie said:
HOSTS-file ad blocking is nothing new, but it is a nice trick. However, there are a few problems with the way you suggested doing this:
1) the HOSTS file on Win8 and WRT is protected by Windows Defender, and attempts to modify the mapping for a number of known domains (some of which, annoyingly, are advertising domains) will fail. You will want to add \Windows\System32\drivers\etc\HOSTS to the Excluded Files in Defender.
2) Neither disabling DNS caching nor restarting are needed. Just run the following command: "ipconfig /flushdns" (no quotes). This will wipe the current DNS cache. Disabling the caching entirely will actually degrade performance, as your browser (for example) will need to do a DNS lookup every single time it wants to open a connection to a server, which could be dozens of times per click. Windows will use the HOSTS file just fine while the DNS cache is active. I'm not even *sure* you need to flush it, but it won't hurt.
By the way, for web browsing, a somewhat "nicer" approach to ad-blocking is to use the built-in IE feature of Tracking Protection Lists. You can "get a Tracking Protection List online" and then add EasyList (who also make the most popular block list for AdBlock Plus/AdBlock Edge). Most people don't realize that IE effectively has a built-in ad blocker, and has for a few releases now... Of course, that won't help with ads outside of the browser.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, very interesting. Thanks for the feedback.
Good tip...
I used the same method as I do on the desktop, I go to :
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm
Scroll down to folder icon and where it says download, tap and hold or right click and save to local disk.
Then extract and right click or tap and hold the mvps.bat file and run as admin and your done.
It makes a backup of your original hosts file as HOST.MVP.
I have never noticed windows defender 'undoing' this unless it just removes a few entries within it.
nazoraios said:
Good tip...
I used the same method as I do on the desktop, I go to :
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm
Scroll down to folder icon and where it says download, tap and hold or right click and save to local disk.
Then extract and right click or tap and hold the mvps.bat file and run as admin and your done.
It makes a backup of your original hosts file as HOST.MVP.
I have never noticed windows defender 'undoing' this unless it just removes a few entries within it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In MVPS's specific instructions for Windows 8 they tell you to make an exception in Windows Defender because it will block it.
waraukaeru said:
In MVPS's specific instructions for Windows 8 they tell you to make an exception in Windows Defender because it will block it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.. interesting. My ad blocking worked fine but i bet they did unblock a series of domains that they deem 'necessary' for windows8.
Thanks for the windows defender tip... i'll have to start using that as well.
Hey, I have a couple questions for all of you awesome ad-blocking folk. I'm using the MVPS hosts file on my Surface 2 and it seems to be blocking some of the ad content for me when I have tracking protection turned off or when tracking protection is ineffective. So, I assume it is set up properly. When you find an unblocked ad, (for instance, my ad blocking efforts seem effective against the images on Facebook but not the text ads) what is your process for determining the domain/host for the ad and blocking it? Do you always go and edit your hosts file, or do you add the domain to you restricted list in Internet Explorer? Or add it to your custom Tracking Protection list?
My other question is: have any of you have determined the common hosts for the banner ads in Windows Store apps? I noticed the MVPS hosts file doesn't seem to be blocking these hosts.
Well since your talking about a web page I would say download fiddler (on an x86 box) and run it in the background while you use your web page. It acts as a proxy so all requests go through it. Then once you find the domains you can add them to HOSTS file.
If you x86 box is Windows 8/8.1 it's a little trickier, you need to use fiddler's 'Windows 8 Config' button to add exceptions to the apps your trying to monitor. I think if you are running IE11 (in protected mode only?) you need to add exceptions for win_ie_ac_??? entries. To monitor apps you can try enabling them all or find your app.
If your talking about on device (RT) you might try running netstat -f in the background but that may only work with desktop IE not running in Enhanced Protected Mode.... if its too much data to read you could redirect to a file to skim through later like netstat -f > temp.txt
waraukaeru said:
Hey, I have a couple questions for all of you awesome ad-blocking folk. I'm using the MVPS hosts file on my Surface 2 and it seems to be blocking some of the ad content for me when I have tracking protection turned off or when tracking protection is ineffective. So, I assume it is set up properly. When you find an unblocked ad, (for instance, my ad blocking efforts seem effective against the images on Facebook but not the text ads) what is your process for determining the domain/host for the ad and blocking it? Do you always go and edit your hosts file, or do you add the domain to you restricted list in Internet Explorer? Or add it to your custom Tracking Protection list?
My other question is: have any of you have determined the common hosts for the banner ads in Windows Store apps? I noticed the MVPS hosts file doesn't seem to be blocking these hosts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nazoraios said:
Well since your talking about a web page I would say download fiddler (on an x86 box) and run it in the background while you use your web page. It acts as a proxy so all requests go through it. Then once you find the domains you can add them to HOSTS file.
If you x86 box is Windows 8/8.1 it's a little trickier, you need to use fiddler's 'Windows 8 Config' button to add exceptions to the apps your trying to monitor. I think if you are running IE11 (in protected mode only?) you need to add exceptions for win_ie_ac_??? entries. To monitor apps you can try enabling them all or find your app.
If your talking about on device (RT) you might try running netstat -f in the background but that may only work with desktop IE not running in Enhanced Protected Mode.... if its too much data to read you could redirect to a file to skim through later like netstat -f > temp.txt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those are some great ideas; I'm going to try them out. They're all fairly labor intensive... I wonder... do you go to those lengths to block ads? It matters that much to me. Looking at how much work that will be though, I am missing the ease of using Adblock Plus and Ghostery plugins in Firefox.
I usually go through those measures to determine which domains to 'unblock' so that I can get a site working with my ad blocking.
I forgot the most obvious method for web stuff, hit F12 in IE, go to network tab, start capturing traffic, load page you want to minitor, and examine results.
waraukaeru said:
Those are some great ideas; I'm going to try them out. They're all fairly labor intensive... I wonder... do you go to those lengths to block ads? It matters that much to me. Looking at how much work that will be though, I am missing the ease of using Adblock Plus and Ghostery plugins in Firefox.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
C-Lang said:
Ok, so disclaimer: this isn't the same as Ad Block, some ads will slip through, and there will probably be IE error messages popping up.
However, if you despise adverts and are ready to give feedback, this does block many ads.
So, what we're doing is editing Windows' built-in hosts file to block these addresses at the source.
First, download the hosts file attached here.
Then, browse to "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc" and rename "hosts" to "hosts.old"
Then copy and paste the file you downloaded into the folder, making sure there is no file extension (go to View>show/hide file extensions)
Next, open CMD as admin (start>cmd>right click>run as admin)
Type "net stop dnscache" and hit enter.
After a couple minutes that'll finish.
Type "sc config dnscache start= disabled"
Reboot your Surface (or other device)
You're now (mostly) ad-free! Let me know what you think, and what effects this has on page load speed. (negligible to me, but I'm on a high-speed, slow connections would most benefit.) :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not just enable some tracking protection lists under Internet Explorer add-ons? It seems to block most, if not all ads for me, even on torrent sites and to me, this seems much easier than a host file.
I enabled the following lists: EasyList Standard, EasyPrivacy.
http://www.iegallery.com/en-us/trackingprotectionlists
TPLs only block ads in IE, HOSTS files can block them in everything across the whole system.
GoodDayToDie said:
TPLs only block ads in IE, HOSTS files can block them in everything across the whole system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ohhhh okay I get it.
Anyone else finding themselves unable to have the ads blocked through hostfile blacklisting? Running 8.1, followed the instructions, all ads keep appearing in Metro apps...
TRSHD said:
Anyone else finding themselves unable to have the ads blocked through hostfile blacklisting? Running 8.1, followed the instructions, all ads keep appearing in Metro apps...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? NOBODY!?!??!
On 8.1 Windows Defender does not allow changes in this file - you must remove it from protected files or disable defender (well, IMO it's nonsense on ARM).
kitor said:
On 8.1 Windows Defender does not allow changes in this file - you must remove it from protected files or disable defender (well, IMO it's nonsense on ARM).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you expand on how to remote it from the protected files?
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2764944
kitor said:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2764944
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent, I've done that already... Dumb question: is the host filename case sensitive? Mine's named HOSTS...
No, Win32 is case-insensitive. It's traditional on Windows to use upper-case, but it doesn't matter.
NTFS is actually capable of behaving in a case-sensitive manner, but Win32 is explicitly case-insensitive. This leads to weirdness if you don't use the Win32 subsystem and create a file whose name differs from another only by case, then try to open them using a Win32 program like Notepad...
I recently saw this on Google play.
It's a volume container encryption application that runs on many platforms including Windows Linux and Android and possibly others (ok I admit I'm pretty blind to Mac and Apple).
I thought I would give it a try. I have not used best crypt since I found true crypt.
I was able to create and mount a container in Android.
But that was about it.the built in file browser that you NEED to use is about as user friendly as a bed of thumb tracks. You had no options on what encryption methods to create the container or any other options. That's a pretty glaring problem.
I tried to install the desktop application but it requires internet to install..
And only an idiot would use such a system
(What happens is you need to reinstall to get to your data and you have no internet? All your backups are useless with internet required applications be it installing or running)
Security applications in any form should never NEED the internet to function in any way.
So basically I cannot even recommend looking at this software for any use.
I could understand issues like these in a new software company that knew nothing of security and was just starting out..
But the makers of best crypt have been around for years. And personally I could never see a situation where I would pay for a application that had such issues right at the start.
Even free I would never use it
It's NOT open source software so I can't even comment on their encryption techniques..
(Once again it would not matter as the desktop needs internet access to install and the app has no encryption options)
Hello guys,
I have been searching for answers to some of the tech stuff, but couldn't find them.
Here are some of those questions. Hope some of you would have answers to these. Thanks in advance!
ANDROID
1. How to share files between multi-users on Android 11?
Before Android 11, it was possible to save files inside the Android/ obb folder, and these files were visible for all users on the device. In Android 11, this is no longer working as the 'obb' folder appears to be exclusive to each user.
I know this is possible via USB OTG or a cloud service, but is there a solution without these?
2. How to copy/ backup game data for non-rooted devices?
Helium Backup doesn't seem to work. I have played a game for long on my Mediapad, and I would like to copy that game to my phone. Unfortunately, my Mediapad is not rooted and losing all that game progress has become a nightmare. I have written to the app developer to provide some sort of backup using either Google Play Games or social media integration like Facebook/ Twitter, but haven't received any response.
3. How to force apps (esp. file managers & gallery apps) to use in-app media viewer without changing system default.
For example, I may use the stock gallery app as default for viewing media. But if I am using another gallery app or a file manager that is capable of viewing media files using its own media viewer, I would rather want it use it than open the default app. Is there a way to do it?
4. Replace stock file manager (a system app) with another app from Google Play Store or other sources. Is this possible?
I am not asking how to convert a user app into system app. I know that part. I tried replacing the apk file of the stock file manager with a 3rd party apk, even renamed it, but it didn't work.
5. Extract a system app from one device and install it on another device without root. Is this possible?
I have tried it, but apk installation fails. For example, Samsung Gallery app on OnePlus phones.
iOS
1. How to install .ipa (iPhone app) on an iPhone (not jail-broken) without a laptop (iTunes)?
2. Is it possible to have SFTP server for iPhone?
All Operating Systems
1. How to provide LAN only access for non-rooted devices as well as in Windows & iOS?
For rooted devices, we have apps like AFWall+ that can do it. But is there a way to do it for devices without root, as well as for Windows and iOS?
For non-rooted devices, we have apps like Netguard that support 'Allow LAN access' whilst blocking internet access.
Are there any alternatives and solutions for other platforms?
2. How safe is it to enter login credentials in an app to allow it access to network drives?
I use several apps (on various platforms) to connect to my laptop over SMB. This requires me to provide the app with my Windows Login Credentials, which is a Microsoft account. Am I risking my account by providing this info to the app? Is it safe to enter login credentials of cloud services in file manager apps?
Just bumping this thread as it seems to have been lost/ unnoticed.
@Ultramanoid can you answer some of these?
Sridhar Ananthanarayanan said:
@Ultramanoid can you answer some of these?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't help much, sorry. As to Android, some notes :
1. Never have used an OEM / Google's version of Android, or anything other than rooted single-user systems.
2. In addition to the previous answer, I'm not a gamer.
3. I usually don't ever set defaults with some rare exceptions, so I am always given a choice of what I want to use to handle a file. It may vary depending on many things; I may want to edit an SVG file as text, or view it as an image, for instance. There are applications / services that will intercept intents to allow you to do this sort of thing as well, but I can't recommend a specific one, never use them myself.
4. Possible, but will break Android as by now the system requires it as a file picker in many instances without recognizing alternatives and developers of most applications do expect it as well and their services will not work without it. Don't do it. With recent Android storage changes, including the scoped storage debacle, this is not a viable option anymore.
5. Depends, but not likely as a general rule, specially for OEM garbage, which relies on their own proprietary modifications of Android, their libraries, frameworks, et al. You'd have to carry those over to the destination too, which may not even be possible. Use OEM-independent and not Google Services reliant applications. ( Edit : you'll find some of those applications built to install on all devices here on XDA by single developers, "SONY camera for all devices" and that sort of thing, not recommended anyway, not well supported or long-lived experiments. )
Ultramanoid said:
Can't help much, sorry. As to Android, some notes :
1. Never have used an OEM / Google's version of Android, or anything other than rooted single-user systems.
2. In addition to the previous answer, I'm not a gamer.
3. I usually don't ever set defaults with some rare exceptions, so I am always given a choice of what I want to use to handle a file. It may vary depending on many things; I may want to edit an SVG file as text, or view it as an image, for instance. There are applications / services that will intercept intents to allow you to do this sort of thing as well, but I can't recommend a specific one, never use them myself.
4. Possible, but will break Android as by now the system requires it as a file picker in many instances without recognizing alternatives and developers of most applications do expect it as well and their services will not work without it. Don't do it. With recent Android storage changes, including the scoped storage debacle, this is not a viable option anymore.
5. Depends, but not likely as a general rule, specially for OEM garbage, which relies on their own proprietary modifications of Android, their libraries, frameworks, et al. You'd have to carry those over to the destination too, which may not even be possible. Use OEM-independent and not Google Services reliant applications. ( Edit : you'll find some of those applications built to install on all devices here on XDA by single developers, "SONY camera for all devices" and that sort of thing, not recommended anyway, not well supported or long-lived experiments. )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks very much. But I wish you answered the last 2 questions as well.
If time permits, would you be interested in telling us how you use your phone? I mean which device, which OS and what apps you use. I would like to give that a try (on a spare device) and see if it is possible for me to live without Google.
Sridhar Ananthanarayanan said:
Thanks very much. But I wish you answered the last 2 questions as well.
If time permits, would you be interested in telling us how you use your phone? I mean which device, which OS and what apps you use. I would like to give that a try (on a spare device) and see if it is possible for me to live without Google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't answer because it won't be helpful.
As to the 1st, I don't use LAN, and I don't keep data in any device or computer unless in use. External independent encrypted storage to be used wherever, whenever, independent of device, cables if needed.
As to the second, it's a matter of common sense, being informed of vulnerabilities and aware of reputation, and trust. Would you trust Chrome or Mozilla with data if you're online banking ? Seems reasonable -- but be aware of major vulnerabilities that may be going on. Would you trust an application released yesterday by a single developer for the same ? Probably not a good idea.
Finally, I doubt what I use and how I use it would be acceptable for you, or most people. In essence you could : Install latest firmware, wipe device, install latest security patched Lineage build for it, remove vendor / Lineage applications, get full root, remove anything you don't need or use which could have vulnerabilities; frameworks, libraries, binaries, etc ( Bluetooth, SMS, Android system-wide downloader, system-wide WebView, NFC, and on and on .. ), install your own binaries, fonts, hosts file, and applications where appropriate ( /bin /etc et al ), install Termux and all Linux packages required for your use, everything open source whenever possible, and stay away from any Google services / Play / applications with ANY trackers, analytics, data mining or even crash report capabilities; zero tolerance. Internet permission only for a secure web browser -- and terminal if / when needed. Half of what I do or use goes through terminal to be honest. In short, for me an Android device is a full Linux laptop replacement with added perks : Always on and on me, camera, GPS, pedometer, unlimited LTE data, and emergency calls for medics / police. ( Edit : And Japanese EEW alarm of course ! Only notification I use. We learned our lesson well in 2011. )
You can use ApkExport to extract any apk including system apks. I've transferred apks between other devices devices with it.
Never had need of doing that though with a system apk.