"Hello Android buddies!". Sounds really cool, right??
Obviously, Android has created a new revolution in the mobile world because of its Open Source features. Though it is Open Source, we can see lot of advantages and disadvantages. I've seen many geeks in android also lot more noobs. More than 1 Billion android users are there in this world and the count is getting increased day by day. Even now many users are reading this blog in your android phones. If so, a Happy news in waiting for you guys.
We are spending huge bucks in buying a Android device but How you feel when it got stolen are Misplaced somewhere? Don't worry guys, you are at right place. Yeah, here we gonna see how to secure your device from thieves hand also how to track it effectively. You know what the word "Effectively" means and you really agree it once you are done with this cool method.
For Android geeks - Best method to track/protect your droid (Rooted devices)
For Noobs - Sorry for you guys, small loop hole is there (NON Rooted devices)
Before we customize our device for tracking, lets consider what a thief will do if he/she steals your mobile.
Power Off your mobile to prevent getting calls and sms or simply to get off from tracking.
If lockscreen protection is enabled, he/she tries to remove the phone battery (in case of removable battery mobiles).
Remove SIM card from your mobile. At this point all users will lose their hope in getting their mobile back.
Factory reset your mobile.
If he/she is a geeky, flashing new ROM is also possible(bit funny but its fact).
To overcome all these darkest part, we gonna use 3 different apps in our process.
STEP 1:
Enable Password protected lock-screen from settings and I hope all users know how to do it. Now your droid's data is protected securely.
STEP 2:
Install Smart Lockscreen protector app from Playstore and ON the Enable Lockscreen option under Power menu settings.
Now this app won't let you to Power Off your mobile from Lockscreen. Its one of the best app for devices with non-removable battery. Problem 1 is solved.
STEP 3:
Install AutomateIT app from Playstore or spend few bucks on AutomateIT PRO which unlocks all features. This app allows user to enable Data/WIFI/GPS using SMS commands. For devices running android version prior to GingerBread 2.3, GPS can be enabled by any third party apps however devices above GB 2.3, Google has blocked the access hence ROOT permission is required to enable this feature. Sorry for the users with non-rooted droids. Check the picture to create trigger and action if you are using the app for the first time. To enable the "Composite Action" in the Action column, you need to unlock the feature at the bottom of the list which asks you to create account. Just Go ahead.
Once you are done with the configuration, test it by sending the sms with specified format gpson from another number and see what happens. You'll receive an acknowledgment sms that the config has been applied and all the options which you've specified are enabled. So if you come to know that your mobile has been stolen, this sms commands let you to activate GPS remotely and we can track effectively compared to Network location. Big thanks to the developer of this awesome app.
STEP 4:
Now we are going to use 2 different steps to track the devices running android version 2.2 and above.
Using Android Device Manger
Using Cerberus Antitheft app
Android Device Manger:
Thanks to Google for allowing us to track our device associated with the Gmail account. To locate your device in ADM, you need to apply some settings. Open Google Settings app and enable the options in picture.
Goto Settings->Security->Phone administrator and Enable Android Device Manger. Now open Android Device Manager from the browser and you can track the device, also it allows you to remotely lock and wipe user data.
Though ADM allows you to locate your device, the features are very limited and I hope Google will update more features in near future.
Cerberus Anti-theft:
I'm sure you guys will surely attracted by this awesome app. Many have heard about this app but still I need to explain its features here but sadly I don't have time for it. Hope you know what I mean. It has hell lot of features which allows user to get device info remotely, call logs, sms logs, Send sms to specified number about the SIM change which is one of the best feature which solves problem 3.
Install Cerberus Antitheft app from Playstore. You'll get one week trail period after that you need to buy license to continue the service and its worth spending few bucks on this app. First installation allows you to create User account and enable the following options
You can register 3 mobile numbers to receive notification about the SIM change. Login to the Cerberus site and there you can see all the features provided by this app and I'm damn sure that you can surely locate your device using any one of the features.
STEP 5:
Catch the thief and show who you are..!! :good:
DEVICE NOW SECURED
Even though we considered so many things in mind to protect our device, you must be very careful from looters. I can't guarantee that this method will work 100% but surely I'll give 95% to rooted mobile and 90% to others. Also keep in mind that you've limited time period to track & recover your mobile as it decreases along with the device battery percentage.
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Dear All,
Our first security app ready, we are looking for testers to make sure the app is working as expected..
Based on Android security system research, we have strenuously tested all of the top security applications in the play store and confirmed that 99% of those applications do not detected the virus, spy apps. We are developing the app since 11+ months, we have been working on and finally created an application for Android security.
Don’t believe us? - Google it - “ Android spy application “ - install the app and see whether your antivirus detects any viruses. The result? It probably came up negative.
This application can detect 99% of viruses, spyware & junk that slows down your phone. And there are even more features suspicious apps, app lock, advance permission alert, advance junk cleaner, hidden apps, near by cell, app permission and so much more! We also support 20+ languages.
Key Features : Remote Lock, Wipe, Data, Locate, Alarm and Backup – Everything done thru one simple test message
The Application can find 99% of Spy applications in the market.
We’ve added 12+ algorithm, to detect the Spy application and application which can steel user data.
A tool designed to lock any apps
App lock – It will lock any application you want with pin or pattern.
A tool which allow you to lock and do what you want
v Remote Lock,
v Ram Cleaner,
v Remote Wipe,
v Remote Data,
v Remote Locate,
v Permission Manager,
v Alarm,
v Anti-Theft,
v Backup.
Advance permission alert – When you open the application, example Gmail – there will be a floating window popup and show the permission the application using right now, you can decide yourself if the app is safe or unsafe. Keep or uninstall ?
App history – you can see the list of application installed on your phone, developer name, rating, Security level, app size, updated date, etc.. you can also see what all applications you have installed other than on the play store. Did you really install them?
Suspicious App – We made the suspicious list dependent on the permissions the app is using. We are asking the application why you need this permission.
Example : Torch light app need only : Camera and Flash permission – why would they need your GPS or Account permission?
Hidden apps – MPSecurity will help you to find the hidden apps on your phone. Have a look yourself and decide if you installed the apps or not.
Junk Clear – it will clear junk automatically and does the real cleaning work.
The list of apps which are using internet right now.
Current process – shows you what is happening on your phone right now What processes are running? - we listed all the current process on your phone...
Connections and communications
Communication – WiFi, Bluetooth, check the history see if have you used them before ?
GSM & CDMA & Near by cells – Complete information about your network & same network list of users very close to you.
Aim to keep the Android phone Safe. Nowadays there are many spy apps for Android Devices, We wanted to solve the security issues in Android. Users may think that they are safe by only downloading from the play store but malicious apps are still out there, we’re here to give the user peace of mind ..
Example : While using the browser, sometimes an Android App will be automatically downloaded, its unsafe.
Identify the problem that the product is intended to solve ?
We wanted to solve the Security issue in Android phones. There are many Virus Scanner Application for Android but those applications can only Find viruses. But our application can find the spy applications installed on your device. Our application’s duty is to keep your Android Phones Safe and Secure...
Why you need MP Security App ?
The only App in Android which can find the Spy Apps installed on the phone. We keep your phone safe..
The Application lets you see what's happening to your phone. “ Monitor ”
See what's happening to your phone, What's happened recently and What's happening now, by looking at the different result and History.
“ Control “ - Easily control your phone & other connected devices all from your phone.
Customize Customize your phone based on the needs – what connections are trusted, what Bluetooth is trusted, What apps are trusted.
Many more to write...
Click Thanks button to support my work
Thread closed.
This is a security discussion forum, not a forum for advertisements, or pushing FUD.
jacksparao said:
Dear All,
Our first security app ready, we are looking for testers to make sure the app is working as expected..
Based on Android security system research, we have strenuously tested all of the top security applications in the play store and confirmed that 99% of those applications do not detected the virus, spy apps. We are developing the app since 11+ months, we have been working on and finally created an application for Android security.
Don’t believe us? - Google it - “ Android spy application “ - install the app and see whether your antivirus detects any viruses. The result? It probably came up negative.
This application can detect 99% of viruses, spyware & junk that slows down your phone. And there are even more features suspicious apps, app lock, advance permission alert, advance junk cleaner, hidden apps, near by cell, app permission and so much more! We also support 20+ languages.
Key Features : Remote Lock, Wipe, Data, Locate, Alarm and Backup – Everything done thru one simple test message
The Application can find 99% of Spy applications in the market.
We’ve added 12+ algorithm, to detect the Spy application and application which can steel user data.
A tool designed to lock any apps
App lock – It will lock any application you want with pin or pattern.
A tool which allow you to lock and do what you want
v Remote Lock,
v Ram Cleaner,
v Remote Wipe,
v Remote Data,
v Remote Locate,
v Permission Manager,
v Alarm,
v Anti-Theft,
v Backup.
Advance permission alert – When you open the application, example Gmail – there will be a floating window popup and show the permission the application using right now, you can decide yourself if the app is safe or unsafe. Keep or uninstall ?
App history – you can see the list of application installed on your phone, developer name, rating, Security level, app size, updated date, etc.. you can also see what all applications you have installed other than on the play store. Did you really install them?
Suspicious App – We made the suspicious list dependent on the permissions the app is using. We are asking the application why you need this permission.
Example : Torch light app need only : Camera and Flash permission – why would they need your GPS or Account permission?
Hidden apps – MPSecurity will help you to find the hidden apps on your phone. Have a look yourself and decide if you installed the apps or not.
Junk Clear – it will clear junk automatically and does the real cleaning work.
The list of apps which are using internet right now.
Current process – shows you what is happening on your phone right now What processes are running? - we listed all the current process on your phone...
Connections and communications
Communication – WiFi, Bluetooth, check the history see if have you used them before ?
GSM & CDMA & Near by cells – Complete information about your network & same network list of users very close to you.
Aim to keep the Android phone Safe. Nowadays there are many spy apps for Android Devices, We wanted to solve the security issues in Android. Users may think that they are safe by only downloading from the play store but malicious apps are still out there, we’re here to give the user peace of mind ..
Example : While using the browser, sometimes an Android App will be automatically downloaded, its unsafe.
Identify the problem that the product is intended to solve ?
We wanted to solve the Security issue in Android phones. There are many Virus Scanner Application for Android but those applications can only Find viruses. But our application can find the spy applications installed on your device. Our application’s duty is to keep your Android Phones Safe and Secure...
Why you need MP Security App ?
The only App in Android which can find the Spy Apps installed on the phone. We keep your phone safe..
The Application lets you see what's happening to your phone. “ Monitor ”
See what's happening to your phone, What's happened recently and What's happening now, by looking at the different result and History.
“ Control “ - Easily control your phone & other connected devices all from your phone.
Customize Customize your phone based on the needs – what connections are trusted, what Bluetooth is trusted, What apps are trusted.
Many more to write...
Click Thanks button to support my work
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi all, I work at a group home and one of the clients recently purchased an Amazon Fire tablet to facebook chat with his dad.
My issue is that thanks to the crapiness of humanity I know that there's a strong potential for the tablet to grow legs.
Without getting into details, the client cannot have the tablet always in their posession, and we can't conveniently lock it down anywhere, and ideally whoever is supporting him needs to have access to the tablet whenever possible.
I'm wondering if there is an app, or even better, a device, which can cause the tablet to alert my manager the moment the device leaves the property? Ideally something not easily accessed or removed.
I know getting a tablet just for facebook chat is overkill, I wasn't the one who purchased it for the client, I'm just trying to make do with what is available.
theseventensplit said:
Hi all, I work at a group home and one of the clients recently purchased an Amazon Fire tablet to facebook chat with his dad.
My issue is that thanks to the crapiness of humanity I know that there's a strong potential for the tablet to grow legs.
Without getting into details, the client cannot have the tablet always in their posession, and we can't conveniently lock it down anywhere, and ideally whoever is supporting him needs to have access to the tablet whenever possible.
I'm wondering if there is an app, or even better, a device, which can cause the tablet to alert my manager the moment the device leaves the property? Ideally something not easily accessed or removed.
I know getting a tablet just for facebook chat is overkill, I wasn't the one who purchased it for the client, I'm just trying to make do with what is available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's an Android right?
I had a look at the Amazon store for anti-theft apps but there were none that I recognised from sources I trust (nit that I have researched them, but maybe you can find a reliable review) You have to be certain it's from a trusted source as these type of apps require special permissions eg admin in order to do their job, and could be abused by a malicious app.
I would recommend Cerberus Anti Theft, I used them for years & they have a good reputation, even though Google removed the app form play store. This is because they had to link the Google app to additional downloads in order to maintain the functionality of the app that made it the best, after Google changed what permissions apps could be granted for apps downloaded from Google store.
You can download for Android devices from their website
https://www.cerberusapp.com/
However there is a potential problem with all antitheft apps, ie. Turning off wifi/data means you can't communicate with it(but Cerberus could be activated via SMS), also a factory reset will remove them, so if a knowledgeable person steals a phone/tablet they can remove the antitheft app, so possibly you would have limited time to activate it. Which is why I used to root & install as a system app, which meant only reinstalling the full factory Android operating system to remove it.
There should be the basic "fined my device" on Android built in (I'm not familiar with Amazon variants) but its not very powerful.
I'll look into it, thanks. It does have tracking but unfortunately that wouldn't alert in time to be able to accurately determine who took it.
If Cerberus can do sms then my manager might be able to get immediate notification if it walks away, once it disconnects from wifi
What I don't get is why isn't there a hardware based solution, something that you have connected to your wifi that alerts you if devices in connected to that wifi signal get disconnected. Or even simpler, bluetooth based.
The problem is that tablets don't all have data, and if turned off they lose the anti theft features. So there needs to be something outside of the device itself that can alert the owner. Maybe it's just to specific a problem unfortunately.
theseventensplit said:
What I don't get is why isn't there a hardware based solution, something that you have connected to your wifi that alerts you if devices in connected to that wifi signal get disconnected. Or even simpler, bluetooth based.
The problem is that tablets don't all have data, and if turned off they lose the anti theft features. So there needs to be something outside of the device itself that can alert the owner. Maybe it's just to specific a problem unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PS. You could use Tasker app (or other automation app) on your phone to set up an alert when the tablet losses connection, if you use your phone as a hotspot, I think.
I am a brand new owner of a OP 8. First thing I did was flash it to OOS 11, then installed Magisk. The phone is now up and running and rooted.
I am coming from a galaxy S5 that I have owned and used for more than 7 years, and for most of that time it has been running Lineage OS. I am used to the control that Lineage gives me, and I would expect that I could exercise the same degree of control with a rooted OOS.
But, this appears to not be true.
On the S5, I had 3C System Tuner Pro which is now an obsolete app, so I have replaced it with the current variant; 3C All-In-One toolbox. This package should allow me to control which apps start at boot, but it seems I cannot turn any of the apps off; when I uncheck them, the app fails to actually remove them from the startup list.
Also, I expect the 3C tool to allow me to uninstall pretty much any app, but there are a lot of google apps that I just can't remove.
I also use greenify (the paid version) and mostly it seems to be working OK, except that I cannot seem to access system apps from it, which makes it very hard for me to shut down things that I don't want running.
I also use afwall (the paid version) and it seems to work as expected. Which is good.
My focus is security and privacy, and my mantra is: "on android, the app that is not running is the app that is not spying". Thus, I want everything that is not needed to satisfy my purposes to not be running, and I only want apps running when *I* say that they can run.
Now, my S5 was running Lineage 17.1 which is android 9. I did not update it past that. And now I am running android 11, and I note that there is a lot of new hardware-based validation in android 11. So possibly I can't remove some things without disabling this validation (which I would prefer not to do). But even if I can't remove, I can disable (which, fortunately, I AM able to do). But I should be able to remove things from the startup list so they don't get started automatically at boot time. Right now, the way it works is they all start, then greenify shuts them down (and that isn't always completely reliable). I need more to make this phone genuinely secure and private.
So.
Does anyone here know how I could gain the capability to remove apps (including system apps) from the startup list and have it stick? Does anyone know what I need to do to get greenify to recognize system apps so I can shut them down when they are not needed, or failing that, can anyone steer me to a different app than greenify that will do that?
Perhaps I would gain by adding the xposed framework? I have not used it in a very long time (since I move to lineage) and I recall it being a bit of a pain.
I suppose I could move to Lineage from OOS, but I would prefer to not do that because of the camera software. This device seems to have a fine camera and not a lot of bloatware, so I would much prefer to stay with OOS for as long as the device is supported by the manufacturer.
But I do insist on being able to completely control it, and disabling apps that I can't stop from running is a much bigger hammer than I would like to use; some of those apps I might actually want to use from time to time.
OK, after some work I have successfully taken full control of the OnePlus 8 and have been able to configure startups as I want them. I installed xposed through Magisk.
I also installed the latest greenify (3.7.8) and afwall, and have those set up too. Since I did purchase greenify, I am able to greenify system apps as well. So, generally, I have full control over the device.
But there remains a problem.
I have disabled wifi and data connections in settings for all apps that I don't want to have accessing a network. I have also blocked those apps in afwall. And yet, my pihole DNS server that services my LAN shows me some of my apps are trying to call home, even when their capability to talk on the internet is denied.
Specifically, greenify is denied network access and is firewalled off, yet there is an attempt to connect to oasisfeng.com.
Also, I use an old version of ES File Explorer (from before it was sold and turned into something very like malware) and it is allowed LAN access but denied any access beyond the LAN...and I see it trying to call its old home domain (estrongs.com).
Similarly, I use an old version of UB Reader (later versions again approach malware status), and it is completely denied network access. But, I see a connection to mobisystems.com.
This clearly indicates that there is a proxy in use somewhere in the system, that is allowing these guys past my blocks. I am using adaway to block these specific domains, but it would be far better to just block that proxy.
However, I don't know where the proxy is and what it is called. Can someone here tell me?
If not, it will be trial and error, which is painful because functionality will break when I turn something off to see if this is it.
jiml8 said:
OK, after some work I have successfully taken full control of the OnePlus 8 and have been able to configure startups as I want them. I installed xposed through Magisk.
I also installed the latest greenify (3.7.8) and afwall, and have those set up too. Since I did purchase greenify, I am able to greenify system apps as well. So, generally, I have full control over the device.
But there remains a problem.
I have disabled wifi and data connections in settings for all apps that I don't want to have accessing a network. I have also blocked those apps in afwall. And yet, my pihole DNS server that services my LAN shows me some of my apps are trying to call home, even when their capability to talk on the internet is denied.
Specifically, greenify is denied network access and is firewalled off, yet there is an attempt to connect to oasisfeng.com.
Also, I use an old version of ES File Explorer (from before it was sold and turned into something very like malware) and it is allowed LAN access but denied any access beyond the LAN...and I see it trying to call its old home domain (estrongs.com).
Similarly, I use an old version of UB Reader (later versions again approach malware status), and it is completely denied network access. But, I see a connection to mobisystems.com.
This clearly indicates that there is a proxy in use somewhere in the system, that is allowing these guys past my blocks. I am using adaway to block these specific domains, but it would be far better to just block that proxy.
However, I don't know where the proxy is and what it is called. Can someone here tell me?
If not, it will be trial and error, which is painful because functionality will break when I turn something off to see if this is it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are concerned about security, you should stay away from Xposed.
First of all, Xposed requires disabling Selinux, otherwise, it won't work. So during the installation, your Selinux status is turned to 'permissive'. That, coupled with the fact that almost every custom rom sets 'ro.secure to Zero', exposes your System partition to third party apps. So, basically, anything can exploit your phone.
Second, Greenify, with all due respect to its great developer, is not needed anymore, since Android 10, because now we have builtin sleep mode that does the same thing as Greenify.
Third, even if Xposed didn't require disabling Selinux, it is still an exploit that creates a back door to your system.
optimumpro said:
If you are concerned about security, you should stay away from Xposed.
First of all, Xposed requires disabling Selinux, otherwise, it won't work. So during the installation, your Selinux status is turned to 'permissive'. That, coupled with the fact that almost every custom rom sets 'ro.secure to Zero', exposes your System partition to third party apps. So, basically, anything can exploit your phone.
Second, Greenify, with all due respect to its great developer, is not needed anymore, since Android 10, because now we have builtin sleep mode that does the same thing as Greenify.
Third, even if Xposed didn't require disabling Selinux, it is still an exploit that creates a back door to your system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Device security is only one aspect of security, and I handle that mostly through device configuration and usage policy anyway.
Overall security involves many other factors, which include maintaining full privacy and control over all data that gets out of the device and goes...elsewhere. To maintain this level of privacy requires reconfiguring any android device to prevent the release of that information. If this requires setting Selinux to permissive, then that tradeoff is quite acceptable. I might prefer it not be the case, but so long as all android devices sold into the marketplace represent the interests of google, the manufacturer, and any third-party that pays the manufacturer ahead of my interests then I will make that tradeoff.
As for Greenify, I have not found the sleep mode that is available in Android 11 to be adequate because it does not allow me to control system apps. You can take it as a maxim that the only android app that does not spy is the android app that is not running - and this includes lots of system apps that I might not want to delete or disable but also don't want running unless I say so, and then only while I am satisfying MY purpose for them.
As for the problem I was asking about, I added the specific URIs to the adaware blocklist and that suppressed them. Prior to that, I was seeing the DNS requests on my LAN DNS. I suspect the network utility I am using to monitor the phone's traffic is reporting requests ahead of the iptables FILTER table, and the packets were being suppressed prior to leaving the device, but I am not certain of that. The only way I could tell would be to monitor the device traffic as it went through the upstream VPN gateway on my LAN, and I did not do that.
Adaware works adequately for this, and I am not seeing any other unexpected/unacceptable traffic from my phone. The one remaining thing I need to check for will involve monitoring from the VPN gateway, as I look for any DoH or DoTLS traffic. I hope I don't find any; that will be a ***** to block. I do block it on the IOT VLAN on my network, but it requires a separate device running a script I wrote. To block DoH/DoTLS on my phone, while allowing appropriate DNS will be...fun.
Edit: And, actually, I just took a quick look. The sestatus command returns that my selinux status is "enforcing". The xposed framework I installed, actually, is lsposed, which is a systemless install using magisk. It implements the xposed framework but in a systemless way; I was just lazy when I wrote about it in my previous post.
jiml8 said:
Device security is only one aspect of security, and I handle that mostly through device configuration and usage policy anyway.
Overall security involves many other factors, which include maintaining full privacy and control over all data that gets out of the device and goes...elsewhere. To maintain this level of privacy requires reconfiguring any android device to prevent the release of that information. If this requires setting Selinux to permissive, then that tradeoff is quite acceptable. I might prefer it not be the case, but so long as all android devices sold into the marketplace represent the interests of google, the manufacturer, and any third-party that pays the manufacturer ahead of my interests then I will make that tradeoff.
As for Greenify, I have not found the sleep mode that is available in Android 11 to be adequate because it does not allow me to control system apps. You can take it as a maxim that the only android app that does not spy is the android app that is not running - and this includes lots of system apps that I might not want to delete or disable but also don't want running unless I say so, and then only while I am satisfying MY purpose for them.
As for the problem I was asking about, I added the specific URIs to the adaware blocklist and that suppressed them. Prior to that, I was seeing the DNS requests on my LAN DNS. I suspect the network utility I am using to monitor the phone's traffic is reporting requests ahead of the iptables FILTER table, and the packets were being suppressed prior to leaving the device, but I am not certain of that. The only way I could tell would be to monitor the device traffic as it went through the upstream VPN gateway on my LAN, and I did not do that.
Adaware works adequately for this, and I am not seeing any other unexpected/unacceptable traffic from my phone. The one remaining thing I need to check for will involve monitoring from the VPN gateway, as I look for any DoH or DoTLS traffic. I hope I don't find any; that will be a ***** to block. I do block it on the IOT VLAN on my network, but it requires a separate device running a script I wrote. To block DoH/DoTLS on my phone, while allowing appropriate DNS will be...fun.
Edit: And, actually, I just took a quick look. The sestatus command returns that my selinux status is "enforcing". The xposed framework I installed, actually, is lsposed, which is a systemless install using magisk. It implements the xposed framework but in a systemless way; I was just lazy when I wrote about it in my previous post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been building Android roms for multiple devices for 9 years. When I started, I also gave a significant positive weight to Xposed, etc... . But the more I learned Android code, the more I became convinced that all those 'privacy' layers are mostly useless and even harmful, because they create a false sense of security.
Vanilla Android roms, actually, contain very little advertising/spying, and it makes a perfect sense: why would Google open-source their spying/advertising machine?
The only thing that might be considered spying (in vanilla Android) is captive portal detection that checks the internet connection and a few other network tools/tests that periodically connect to the internet, but not necessarily with nefarious purposes. But even these could be disabled or changed to other servers.
Android becomes an advertising tool only when you install Google Apps/Google Services Framework, register a Google account, etc. Once you have that, and 100% of stock roms do, no amount of tweaking can prevent spying, because these Google 'structures' sit lower than any systemless layer. In other words, they can go around Magisk/Xposed tricks. Moreover, on devices with stock roms, one doesn't even need encryption and the use of apps like Signal/Telegram/Silence etc.. Google Services Framework can see your outgoing messages before they are encrypted, and incoming messages after decryption. In other words, they can see what your eyes see on the screen.
So, the only way to prevent Google interests from taking over your phone is never install Google 'things', which is the case with my rom and my phone.
optimumpro said:
I have been building Android roms for multiple devices for 9 years. When I started, I also gave a significant positive weight to Xposed, etc... . But the more I learned Android code, the more I became convinced that all those 'privacy' layers are mostly useless and even harmful, because they create a false sense of security.
Vanilla Android roms, actually, contain very little advertising/spying, and it makes a perfect sense: why would Google open-source their spying/advertising machine?
The only thing that might be considered spying (in vanilla Android) is captive portal detection that checks the internet connection and a few other network tools/tests that periodically connect to the internet, but not necessarily with nefarious purposes. But even these could be disabled or changed to other servers.
Android becomes an advertising tool only when you install Google Apps/Google Services Framework, register a Google account, etc. Once you have that, and 100% of stock roms do, no amount of tweaking can prevent spying, because these Google 'structures' sit lower than any systemless layer. In other words, they can go around Magisk/Xposed tricks. Moreover, on devices with stock roms, one doesn't even need encryption and the use of apps like Signal/Telegram/Silence etc.. Google Services Framework can see your outgoing messages before they are encrypted, and incoming messages after decryption. In other words, they can see what your eyes see on the screen.
So, the only way to prevent Google interests from taking over your phone is never install Google 'things', which is the case with my rom and my phone.
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I don't really program Android, though I am a kernel developer in both Linux and Freebsd. I also am one of the principal architects of a network infrastructure appliance that is getting a lot of attention in the industry.
So, while I do not know android in detail at a low level, I know linux thoroughly and I am fully equipped to completely monitor and control what access that android (or any other computer) has to any network. And that has been my dilemma; I can see what my device is doing and I am determined to stop it.
I agree with you about vanilla Android, absent all the google stuff. It is just linux with a different desktop on it, and the connections it makes to google are just for network management functions; the network device I have built also contacts google (and a few others) for network maintenance only and not any information transfer.
Unfortunately, the google apps infrastructure is required for some things that I use the phone for. Google maps is required by both Uber and Lyft; without Maps, I can't use those apps - and there are times when I am traveling where I really need to be able to use those apps.
Also, unfortunately, the company I am contracted to (where I am part-owner) for which I have built this network appliance makes heavy use of google tools. I have not been able to convince my partners to move away from google, and they can outvote me.
I have to allow Meet, and Chat to run on my device; I don't have a practical alternative. So I have spent a lot of time determining exactly which google components are the minimum required to allow those apps to run, and I have disabled or blocked or restricted permissions for all other google components - and both greenify and afwall play key roles in this activity.
With my old Galaxy S5, I just would install the smallest google package that supported Maps onto my Lineage OS on that device, but on this OnePlus 8, I have elected to stick with OOS for as long as it receives updates. So, tying google's hands is a lot more work.
My monitoring tells me I have it now as good as it will be. There are a few connections to google, as expected, but the frequency of those connections is not high and very little data is being transferred in either direction. I believe most of the traffic is administrative. The only thing I have not yet checked is whether there is any DoH or DoTLS traffic. My IOT VLAN watches for and blocks such traffic (my IOT VLAN exists to isolate and completely control my Android TV), and I have connected the phone to the IOT VLAN for a short while to see if any DoH/DoTLS was detected and none was - but I really need to connect it to that VLAN for an extended period.
I do root around in the phone's databases (which reveals what Google is doing, and Google can't stop that...) and the result is that I know Google is not doing much.
So, it isn't perfect. I would be much happier if the company would move away from google. But it is as good as its going to get, and I don't believe google is sneaking anything by me; I would have detected it. I do block a LOT of google URIs.
Also, as far as google open-sourcing their spying machine...that, quite explicitly, is the purpose of Android. It is open-sourced spyware for google.
They open-sourced it partly because they had to (the gnu licensing ties their hands) and partly to gain acceptance; its open source nature is why it is now the dominant architecture. It greatly reduces development costs for device manufacturers while providing a standardized framework upon which they can build.
Those of us who put in the effort to exploit that open-source nature to stop the spying are a small fraction of the total marketplace, and google can easily tolerate us.
Android has increased google's reach and ability to collect data about individuals to an enormous extent. From the standpoint of knowing everything about everybody (which is google's explicit goal) it is an enormous win for them.
I'm looking for a way of stopping my kids phones from being used as a hotspot, as it allows them to share their data with others. I'm not fussed whether it worked on Android or iPhone as long as a workable solution was available. Changing the password is no good as they'll just share the new password.
mudddy said:
I'm looking for a way of stopping my kids phones from being used as a hotspot, as it allows them to share their data with others. I'm not fussed whether it worked on Android or iPhone as long as a workable solution was available. Changing the password is no good as they'll just share the new password.
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It would require rooting the devices and then using root permissions to delete the system app or apps that control the hotspot feature. If you successfully root the devices and successfully remove the app or apps and are successful in stopping the hotspot functionality, you will then have to un-root the device so that the changes that you made can not be reversed.
Or, it is possible that you may be able to use adb(Android Debig Bridge)without having to root the devices to disable or remove the app or apps that control hotspot. You would just have to identify the exact name of the specific system app or apps that control hotspot on your device and then use adb commands to disable or remove those specific apps then reboot the devices.
To learn how to use adb to remove the system apps on each specific device in question, do a Google search for:
"Remove system apps via adb without root (the specific device model number)"
That should find many different guides to explain the process even if it doesn't find anything specific to the device model. The important things to remember are, you must identify the specific system apps(the specific file name of the .apk files for those apps) that control hotspot, then use those specific .apk file names in your command lines that you enter in adb and the command must be the correct uninstall or disable command.
mudddy said:
I'm looking for a way of stopping my kids phones from being used as a hotspot, as it allows them to share their data with others. I'm not fussed whether it worked on Android or iPhone as long as a workable solution was available. Changing the password is no good as they'll just share the new password.
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If you wish to permanently disable mobile hotspot, please provide here your Android device, model number and Android version presently installed.
jwoegerbauer said:
If you wish to permanently disable mobile hotspot, please provide here your Android device, model number and Android version presently installed.
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Its a Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 64gb/3gb running Android 10 and Miui 12. But as mentioned I'd change this to any mobile which has a workable solution.
Does anyone know of any guide I could use to do this?
Not fussed on what phone its on.