107
Better understanding and mitigating the risks of using a phone that no longer receives system updates (lemmy.ca)
submitted 1 year ago by BuoyantCitrus@lemmy.ca to c/android@lemdro.id
31 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Too many perfectly usable phones are put into a questionable security situation by lack of vendor support for keeping key software up to date.

But what's the actual risk of using an Android phone on a stock ROM without updates? What's the attack surface?

It seems like most things that'd contact potentially malicious software are web and messaging software, but that's all done by apps which continue to receive updates (at least until the android version is entirely unsupported) eg. Webview, Firefox, Signal, etc.

So are the main avenues for attack then sketchy apps and wifi points? If one is careful to use a minimal set of widely scrutinised apps and avoid connecting to wifi/bluetooth/etc. devices of questionable provenance is it really taking that much of a risk to continue using a device past EOL?

Or do browsers rely on system libraries that have plausible attack vectors? Perhaps images, video, font etc. rendering could be compromised? At this point though, that stack must be quite hardened and mature, it'd be major news for libjpg/ffmpeg to have a code-execution vulnerability? Plus it seems unlikely that they wouldn't just include this in webview/Firefox as there must surely be millions of devices in this situation so why not take the easy step of distributing a bit more in the APK?

I'm not at all an Android developer though, perhaps this is very naive and I'm missing something major?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] henfredemars@infosec.pub 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It's not necessarily true that the baseband has unfettered access to the entire phone. Pixel devices for example use a special IOMMU to restrict what the baseband can access, forcing it to go through a specialized interface only. It still requires more work for a compromise of baseband to get control of Android.

First you need to exploit the baseband. Then, you need to exploit the kernel.

Now, that's a significant attack surface, but the point stands that many phones now have some compartmentalization because of this risk. This has been a concern for some time and newer designs are trying to mitigate it.

Here's a security evaluation of the pixel which shows that a compromise of the modem does not equate to an immediate compromise of the device. The modem must be restricted in what it can access of the application processor.

[-] argv_minus_one@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

That's good news, but GrapheneOS does not support older Pixel phones because they are insecure and cannot be made secure, so apparently the baseband isn't the only problem.

Unfortunately, they're not specific about which firmware poses a security threat unless updated. I was under the impression that the baseband firmware is the problem, but I must have been mistaken.

this post was submitted on 23 Jul 2023
107 points (99.1% liked)

Android

17626 readers
170 users here now

The new home of /r/Android on Lemmy and the Fediverse!

Android news, reviews, tips, and discussions about rooting, tutorials, and apps.

🔗Universal Link: !android@lemdro.id

💡Content Philosophy:

Content which benefits the community (news, rumours, and discussions) is generally allowed and is valued over content which benefits only the individual (technical questions, help buying/selling, rants, self-promotion, etc.) which will be removed if it's in violation of the rules.

Support, technical, or app related questions belong in: !askandroid@lemdro.id

For fresh communities, lemmy apps, and instance updates: !lemdroid@lemdro.id

💬Matrix Chat

💬Telegram channels / chats

📰Our communities below

Rules

  1. Stay on topic: All posts should be related to the Android OS or ecosystem.

  2. No support questions, recommendation requests, rants, or bug reports: Posts must benefit the community rather than the individual. Please post to !askandroid@lemdro.id.

  3. Describe images/videos, no memes: Please include a text description when sharing images or videos. Post memes to !androidmemes@lemdro.id.

  4. No self-promotion spam: Active community members can post their apps if they answer any questions in the comments. Please do not post links to your own website, YouTube, blog content, or communities.

  5. No reposts or rehosted content: Share only the original source of an article, unless it's not available in English or requires logging in (like Twitter). Avoid reposting the same topic from other sources.

  6. No editorializing titles: You can add the author or website's name if helpful, but keep article titles unchanged.

  7. No piracy or unverified APKs: Do not share links or direct people to pirated content or unverified APKs, which may contain malicious code.

  8. No unauthorized polls, bots, or giveaways: Do not create polls, use bots, or organize giveaways without first contacting mods for approval.

  9. No offensive or low-effort content: Don't post offensive or unhelpful content. Keep it civil and friendly!

  10. No affiliate links: Posting affiliate links is not allowed.

Quick Links

Our Communities

Lemmy App List

Chat and More

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
ijeff@lemdro.id
ladfrombrad@lemdro.id
Paradox@lemdro.id
multimoon@lemdro.id
mikestevens@lemdro.id
Devgard@lemmy.world
limerod@reddthat.com
Netrunner@lemdro.id