Android Security Question

[AZRedhawk44]

Kindle, Android... I don't care which "managed toy" you're talking about.  How do you stop this and make it "unmanaged?"

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f04a88b8-48ea-11e0-af8c-00144feab49a.html#axzz1G19KZuNS

I'm itching to replace my cell phone with a do-all-doodad in the next few months, but I will not stand for someone else being able to remotely access my phone like this.

Google is remotely disabling malicious software that deceived more than a quarter of a million owners of Android smartphones, as the outbreak continues to raise questions on the company’s approach to security.

Dumb people is dumb.  They buy bad software (a "discount" edition of an official Android app, from a non-sanctioned store that doctored the Android app so that it is now info-stealing malware) and get malware on their phones.

Doesn't mean I should be subject to Google rooting into my phone and sniffing around to examine my software manifest.

Their problem.  Not mine.

I intend to write some Android apps for personal use.  Ballistics calculator for .223, .308, .30-30 and .450 marlin.  Probably other stuff, too.  I'll probably give it to other friends with Androids.  I'll probably install software from non-official Android sources.  I don't want it disappearing.  I don't want copies of it getting uploaded to Google for their perusal.

[AJ Dual]

The main way is to study up on the various phone forums, root your phone, and disable Google's ability to do this.

Android is Linux/Unix under the hood, so if you're good with that, and you've got root access you can probably prevent any other process from touching/accessing/removing anything you don't want it too.

[PTK]

You agreed to allow that sort of access when you bought/activated the phone.

I own a Kindle. It has both Wifi and 3G, and yes, Amazon can (and has, in the past) remove information from it. My solution? I keep my Kindle with the same information/e-books that I keep on a flash drive. If anything happens to my data, I disable the wifi and 3G (there's a software option Amazon offers) and put it back via my flash drive. Thousands of books on there, and not one goes missing so far.

[GigaBuist]

The FT.com article required registration, so I didn't read it, but I found similar articles on the matter.

It sounds like only the 'Market' app is responsible for cleaning out old software.  So, if you don't ever run that you're fine -- but I'm not sure what it would take to entirely clean that off from a phone.

I suppose if you really wanted to you could fork something like CyanogenMod and patch it to trap any phoning home that it does to a Google Market blacklist.   Awful lot of work, though, to protect against malicious activity that hasn't happened yet.  Probably ever won't, either.

[CNYCacher]

Kindle, Android... I don't care which "managed toy" you're talking about.  How do you stop this and make it "unmanaged?"

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f04a88b8-48ea-11e0-af8c-00144feab49a.html#axzz1G19KZuNS

I'm itching to replace my cell phone with a do-all-doodad in the next few months, but I will not stand for someone else being able to remotely access my phone like this.

Get an HP/Palm Pre 2 or wait for the Pre 3

[RevDisk]

Kindle, Android... I don't care which "managed toy" you're talking about.  How do you stop this and make it "unmanaged?"

Get a Blackberry and a BES.

RIM can block communication, but it can't understand the data flow and does not have root access to the phone.   Telecom access is a bit of a wild card, no one is sure how much access they have over the phone itself.  "Total" would be my guess, under CALEA. 

[Balog]

It's fairly simple and easy to root your phone, esp. on the older models.

[FNFAL]

It's fairly simple and easy to root your phone, esp. on the older models.

Rooting the phone doesn't stop Google from removing apps it considers malicious. Only Google's good intentions keep them from destroying your phone.

[Hawkmoon]

Rooting the phone doesn't stop Google from removing apps it considers malicious. Only Google's good intentions keep them from destroying your phone.

Google has good intentions?

[sanglant]

yeah, just look what they're doing in Egypt.