Develop Bugs

Help With Security Solution

I want to be able to granularly set the permissions for each app. From what I understand my options are:
Cyanogenmod - except CM10 for SGS2 is missing this at this time
Pdroid for GB
Pdroid 2.0 - running CM10 only
LBE (from China)
I have had Pdroid 2.0 running on CM10 for a few weeks but CM10 isn't stable - just had it auto-reboot in the middle of a call. Does anybody have any other ideas / suggestions?
On a related note - I'm wondering why it seems that most people aren't bothered with apps monitoring their use and even more important archiving all the data compiled on them?? The only thing that I can think of is that most cell phone / XDA users are really young and just don't know any better??? Didn't they pay any attention in history class?? What am I missing here?

Mrktmind said:
On a related note - I'm wondering why it seems that most people aren't bothered with apps monitoring their use and even more important archiving all the data compiled on them?? The only thing that I can think of is that most cell phone / XDA users are really young and just don't know any better??? Didn't they pay any attention in history class?? What am I missing here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because phone security is generally easy to manage. Most apps make a good name for themselves. And many people check the security of an app as soon as it were to hit the Play Store. It doesn't mean we are young it means that we aren't dumb and know how modern technology works.

hrffd said:
Because phone security is generally easy to manage. Most apps make a good name for themselves. And many people check the security of an app as soon as it were to hit the Play Store. It doesn't mean we are young it means that we aren't dumb and know how modern technology works.[/QUOTE
I highly doubt that anyone on XDA, regardless of age, is dumb. I do believe, however, that there are quite a few younger members who could be a bit naive due to a lack of experience. Younger folks tend to take most things at face value. Just because something is free monetarily doesn't mean it isn't costing you something. Just because an app is on Play Store doesn't mean it is "secure" - especially since the Play Store (as well as Android, Google, et.al.) operate on the same business model as the apps!
Just a random example - Why would Angry Birds need my Sim Card Serial number to operate properly? Why would it need to know the phone numbers of all my incoming calls? Answer - it doesn't - in fact it doesn't need ANY of the permissions it asks for to operate properly. So why does it ask for these permissions? Answer - it is data mining your phone.
Ok, so I think most XDA members are aware of WHAT these apps are doing. My original question is WHY don't more people seem to care?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Mrktmind said:
I want to be able to granularly set the permissions for each app. From what I understand my options are:
Cyanogenmod - except CM10 for SGS2 is missing this at this time
Pdroid for GB
Pdroid 2.0 - running CM10 only
LMB (from China)
I have had Pdroid 2.0 running on CM10 for a few weeks but CM10 isn't stable - just had it auto-reboot in the middle of a call. Does anybody have any other ideas / suggestions?
On a related note - I'm wondering why it seems that most people aren't bothered with apps monitoring their use and even more important archiving all the data compiled on them?? The only thing that I can think of is that most cell phone / XDA users are really young and just don't know any better??? Didn't they pay any attention in history class?? What am I missing here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe MIUI is also a viable option for this, no? You can set app permission on a "per-app" basis with MIUI security I believe.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

I tried this app a while back and it basically does what you want but it got annoying https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lbe.security.lite
I don't use these because I am very selective about what goes on my phone.

Thanks Luke!
Not very familiar with MIUI ROM's will have to look into them.

someguyatx said:
I tried this app a while back and it basically does what you want but it got annoying https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lbe.security.lite
I don't use these because I am very selective about what goes on my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, this is the app I listed above - just had the initials wrong! :silly: It is a lot like pdroid but, like you, it scares me.

I have my own small business and run most of it from my phone, in the beginning I used the standard flip phone then graduated on to a touch pro 2 with Windows Mobile 6.5 as I began to accumulate massive amounts of data on my Windows Mobile phone, for some reason I still felt secure in the applications like ActiveSync that I was in control of my data.... A year ago last October I upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy s2.. this was my first real experience with Google's Android operating system. in the first few minutes of using the new phone I could see how deeply the hooks were being placed to data mine my information. I resisted at first but then came to realize if I wanted all the bells and whistles Google was offering I had to play the game... I use the security program mentioned above... maybe they should have an app were you sign a consent of exactly which data you would like to keep on your phone and not share with other people. then when you visit the play store apps that request more of your private data than you're willing to share won't show up? I would like to have an open sourced built firewall that monitors traffic, letting me choose the permissions per app as I see fit.

Mrktmind said:
Thanks Luke!
Not very familiar with MIUI ROM's will have to look into them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've ran both Adhvanlt's and Lens's JB MIUI Roms, and they're both amazing! The standard MIUI launcher feels a bit like the iphone, and there is no app drawer, but that's easily fixed by downloading [insert favorite launcher here] if you don't care for it. There's hundreds of options for customization. They are literally the most customizable ROMs you'll ever run; All of this on top of the fact that it has the security features I believe you are after baked right in to it.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

Looked at two MIUI ROM's for the E4GT. Both of them have issues with Google Voice. I need Google Voice.
I am also going to try +AF (Droidwall fork) firewall tonight to see if it will work on FK23. It apparently has issues with some ICS/JB ROM's. That will at least give some protection from apps that don't need network access at all. But for apps that need network access to do their intended job it's useless. Just read last night that the developer has added profiles to +AF - that should be really cool.
I guess I'm spoiled a bit with Pdroid - it works so well and is very detailed.
Thanks for all the replies! Other suggestions, ideas, thoughts, opinions welcomed!

Mrktmind said:
I want to be able to granularly set the permissions for each app. From what I understand my options are:
Cyanogenmod - except CM10 for SGS2 is missing this at this time
Pdroid for GB
Pdroid 2.0 - running CM10 only
LBE (from China)
I have had Pdroid 2.0 running on CM10 for a few weeks but CM10 isn't stable - just had it auto-reboot in the middle of a call. Does anybody have any other ideas / suggestions?
On a related note - I'm wondering why it seems that most people aren't bothered with apps monitoring their use and even more important archiving all the data compiled on them?? The only thing that I can think of is that most cell phone / XDA users are really young and just don't know any better??? Didn't they pay any attention in history class?? What am I missing here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As an app developer, I can tell you that there are some shady apps, but if you download from good devs, the permissions are *usually* necessary. Here's some examples that people question the most:
Access to contacts... Assuming it's not a contact or sms app, if any app has a "share" feature needs this permission.
Access to sd card... Any app that saves anything or lets you change a background needs this.
Read phone state... So the app can properly call the "onpause" method when a call comes in.
Access to location... Assuming it's not a location app or game like ingress or zombies!Run!, you'll typically see this on free apps that have ads. Ads allow developers to get paid for their work while keeping the app free. They don't have access to the ad data, though. They just put in the api and the ad company handles the rest.
On top of that, large organizations will seek phone specific permissions like sim card numbers for analytics.
Google makes most of its money from ads, so it reads your usage to better target ads. Google also uses location data to improve location services like maps.
If you're worried about security, don't download a random app that only has 100+ downloads. If an app has 50000+ downloads, you can rest assured that it's already been vetted.
Also if you're downloading pirated apps, you're just a moron who is opening up his world to who knows who. Many (not all) pirated apps have added data mining code.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

[Q] Noobie Root

Hi everyone,
I just rooted my phone last night and now i'm ready to explore android. I know the question is probably been asked 1000 times but what do i do from here? I got Titanium app but that's about it. How can I:
1. Remove Bloatware
2. Get custome ROMS
3. Protect my device from malicous wares
4. Get new Widgets
5. Get paid apps? for free?
6. Modify Home Screens
7. etc
Please guide me.
Thanks

iampain13 said:
Hi everyone,
I just rooted my phone last night and now i'm ready to explore android. I know the question is probably been asked 1000 times but what do i do from here? I got Titanium app but that's about it. How can I:
1. Remove Bloatware
2. Get custome ROMS
3. Protect my device from malicous wares
4. Get new Widgets
5. Get paid apps? for free?
6. Modify Home Screens
7. etc
Please guide me.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Use TI to remove any Bloatware you dont want. Just make sure you do a full backup before toying around. Google "Nandroid" if you dont know how.
2) To each their own. If you want to keep wifi calling you must use one of the Tmobile based custom rom. Jedi Master 10 Rom is great.
3) See 5
4)
5) The devil is knocking but dont do it. Many of the great apps are already fee. Their are VERY FEW paid apps thats worth even the download. For those, its worth it just to pay a few dollars to get endless updates and feature improvements. I came from iOS, and over the years, I came to the realization that apps that are worth pirating is worth paying for. $2 or $3 are peanuts if I really like the apps and want all the latest features. Going the pirate route opens a world of hurt because anyone can infect these pirated apps. You really are ASKING FOR IT. Once you buy an app, you get it for life, so the next android device you run, these apps will continue to be useful. Pirating, honestly, is just a pain the ass. In iOS I would pirate to honestly try out an app, 90% of which I never even use a gain. In Android, its just too risky to be infected with malware. Pirating Android apps is just not worth the hassle.
6) Go wild, try Nova Launcher free

inspron said:
1) Use TI to remove any Bloatware you dont want. Just make sure you do a full backup before toying around. Google "Nandroid" if you dont know how.
2) To each their own. If you want to keep wifi calling you must use one of the Tmobile based custom rom. Jedi Master 10 Rom is great.
3) See 5
4)
5) The devil is knocking but dont do it. Many of the great apps are already fee. Their are VERY FEW paid apps thats worth even the download. For those, its worth it just to pay a few dollars to get endless updates and feature improvements. I came from iOS, and over the years, I came to the realization that apps that are worth pirating is worth paying for. $2 or $3 are peanuts if I really like the apps and want all the latest features. Going the pirate route opens a world of hurt because anyone can infect these pirated apps. You really are ASKING FOR IT. Once you buy an app, you get it for life, so the next android device you run, these apps will continue to be useful. Pirating, honestly, is just a pain the ass. In iOS I would pirate to honestly try out an app, 90% of which I never even use a gain. In Android, its just too risky to be infected with malware. Pirating Android apps is just not worth the hassle.
6) Go wild, try Nova Launcher free
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice. I'll do a search for Jedi Master 10 Rom. The problem is I still haven't mess around much so I don't really know how ROM works or installing them.

iampain13 said:
Thanks for the advice. I'll do a search for Jedi Master 10 Rom. The problem is I still haven't mess around much so I don't really know how ROM works or installing them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The "basic" understanding, for now, when it comes to roms is only flash ones strictly designated for your particular phone model. At least until you get more comfortable with this device, that should be rule number 1. Next thing is to decide what kind of rom you prefer, as there are two basic categories as of right now. 1. Touchwiz based, and, 2. AOSP, AOKP, or other nonTW based roms (like CM, paranoid Android, carbon, etc).
A lot would breakdown 1. Touchwiz based into two subcategories A. Stock (or rooted-stock) and B. Custom TW based... really no difference here but if you like allshare than stay stock (or rooted stock) where as if you dont use allshare then a custom TW still keeps full SPen functionality while allowing OC/UV and other rom specific features, etc.
If TW doesn't float your boat, or you'd rather stay more up to date with like latest 4.2+ releases then option 2 (AOSP, AOKP, etc) roms will be your best bet...
As far as rooting you got various ways but all threads provide adequate instructions
Custom recovery has 2 options CWM and TWRP (I use TWRP, but it shouldn't make a difference, unless the flash OP calls for either one).. Also Odin/Mobile Odin is something you may want to look into
Don't flash anything that mess with your modem/radio/efs (unless you know what your doing and have the right backups)
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app

iampain13 said:
Thanks for the advice. I'll do a search for Jedi Master 10 Rom. The problem is I still haven't mess around much so I don't really know how ROM works or installing them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you run custom roms no need to worry about bloatware really if you just plan to root just freeze with TB dont uninstall as that can cause some bad behavior. On a side note I highly recommend Jedi XX its awesome!

sleepy8686 said:
If you run custom roms no need to worry about bloatware really if you just plan to root just freeze with TB dont uninstall as that can cause some bad behavior. On a side note I highly recommend Jedi XX its awesome!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 you can't go wrong with any version of Jedi ROMs.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

Is using an app like Lookout even necessary?

How many people use apps like Lookout that scan your phone and supposedly offer ant-virus protection? Are they even necessary?

Don't think you'll find many that do. Other than corporate security reasons. All of is crackflashers don't stay on the same system long enough to warrant such a measure
Sent from my phone using xda premium.

I like lookout for the scream feature....my wife loses her phone all the time and if I send the code through lookouts website the phone makes a loud siren sound even when on silent or vibrate. As far as the antivirus I really dont use it

I use lookout not for the scanning feature, but for the lost phone/lock/wipe features.You never know when you might need it.

Not absolutely, i use Eset Mobile on the N4, used it for many years allready om my pc`s. Better safe than sorry. And always look at the permissions you are about to give to an app when installing.

I used Lookout for 2 years on my HTC Desire then decided to uninstall it about 6 months ago. Can't say I've missed it.
I've not put it on my N4.

Common sense, and checking permissions is much more important than an anti virus imo. Google play store already has the bouncer that scans all the apps. Most of these malware apps that users install come from people not willing to cough up a few dollars for apps and getting said apps from third party sites, and torrents often repackaged with malware, and imo it looks good on them. Support the devs, don't be so cheap, and pay for apps (not directing this at anyone here, just saying). Use the Playstore, or somewhere reputable like XDA and check permissions, there's no reason a wallpaper would need access to your contact list and private info ect. Never used an antivirus on a phone and i likely never will.

i use lookout because i need to install apks from other sources..
i need to install apks from other sources because google play does not allow apks like adaway..
i buy apps from google play.. but ads? no way..

A little off topic here but Rom toolbox by JRummy has an adblocker, i wonder if Google will make him pull the app

I use avast... Dont know if it works, but being a windows user, i think im mentally ill, and insecure.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

carnage017 said:
I use avast... Dont know if it works, but being a windows user, i think im mentally ill, and insecure.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hahahhaha, Awesome man, made my morning. :good:

ScumDroid said:
A little off topic here but Rom toolbox by JRummy has an adblocker, i wonder if Google will make him pull the app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, he's taking care of that before they pull it: https://twitter.com/jrummy16/status/312368614059692033

overhauling said:
No, he's taking care of that before they pull it: https://twitter.com/jrummy16/status/312368614059692033
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i guess i wont be updating rom toolbox anymore

ROM toolbox adblocker was never as good as AdAway anyway.
As far as apps like Lookout go, I'd never use an anti-bvirus scanenr etc. I use Cerberus in case I lose my phone so I can track/find or wipe it.

waste of RAM and space for antivirus apps... dont pirate apps and just download apps/games from the play store and you'll be fine.

[Q] stupid question of the day, Remove google apps?

i like the factory Samsung roms after all the bloat has been removed.
but i like the aokp roms because i don't need the Google apps installed. (even more bloat IMHO)
is it possible to remove goggle apps from the Samsung base and still keep stability??

Depends on the app. If you mean removing the entire framework i would not suggest it. But if you just mean google books and stuff like that then you can just freeze it with TiBU

I would like to remove as much as possible. Google play Google services Google sync Google maps Google everything etc.
If I could find a comprehensive list that explained what every Google app was in the rom I would start freezing things and see what happens. But with out that list I'll have force closes everywhere and I'll never be sure what may be causing it.

Can be done....
Look on the CM website and search for "barebones" lists of application removal..
Basically CM did the leg work for us in determining to what level a device can be stripped and still function...
A few years ago I was running CM builds on the Aria at just over 56 meg.. and they were fast...
I used winrar to drop out the APKs as the rom didn't need resigning after the removal...but with our current recoveries and the ability to ignore signature verification at the recovery level anyway...I'm sure several other methods will work...
I briefly browsed through the barebones lists before typing this...and noticed that several areas are under construction...but lists do exist to remove complete packages up to the 10.1 level...
Just keep a good nandroid backup handy...
Happy application dumping....g
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using XDA Premium HD app

thanks for the pointers , i found a few different list of things to remove, and ill use my sgs2 as a Guinea pig to start..
find a way to dump a list of system files then start freezing and removing them.
( i even found a s4 rom script that the guy removed 800+ MB of files http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2307355)
ill post what i find and maybe even release a rom..
unless something happens and i don't

nutpants said:
thanks for the pointers , i found a few different list of things to remove, and ill use my sgs2 as a Guinea pig to start..
find a way to dump a list of system files then start freezing and removing them.
( i even found a s4 rom script that the guy removed 800+ MB of files http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2307355)
ill post what i find and maybe even release a rom..
unless something happens and i don't
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It'll work. ..and it's a lot of fun seeing the bloat go away. .
Those stripped roms fly. .
And with so little on the device. ..it's likely you'll only have 1 application screen. ..
Sweet. ...g
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using XDA Premium HD app

[Q] We have root? Great! What can it do?

Guys, please. The point of my thread is NOT whether the root claim is a lie or not. I am asking some questions about what can be done with it regardless, so please, if anyone knows inform me, but don't post guessing games of whether it is real or not.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So the Note 4 is actually my first device I've owned where I didn't have an unlocked bootloader. Because of this, I'm not sure whether all the modifications I've made to my past devices were enabled because I had an unlocked bootloader.
The only thing I know we can't do is install custom roms.
So... that leaves me with a question. What kinds of things can we do with just root?
On top of that, I have some specific questions (Might think of more later) :
Will root let us be able to install the auto-brightness control that the international version of the Note 4 has? If you don't know, you're able to adjust how low or high the auto brightness stages will go without turning off auto brightness on that version. It's so much nicer than having to turn off auto, adjust to where you want, and then remember to turn auto back on when you leave that environment.
Can we remap the capacitive multitask button to be a menu button instead? And to remap long-pressing that button to be the new multitask?
Thanks!

There's safe strap which allows us to have custom roms.

droidx2.3.3 said:
There's safe strap which allows us to have custom roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did they get a safestrap to work?

I'm assuming that they will. I suppose I should have worded my post different.
So it should have said, if we get safe strap we will be able to have custom roms.
It's not quiet the same as a unlocked bootloader though.

We have root?
what proof?

Well regardless of whether we have custom roms through some other means, I'd personally most interested in those 2 questions I stated. That's honestly the things I want most with root at the moment.

Where is root?

Root has not been proven yet. Patience. Everyone is jumping the gun here.

Guys, please. The point of my thread is NOT whether the root claim is a lie or not. I am asking some questions about what can be done with it regardless, so please, if anyone knows inform me, but don't post guessing games of whether it is real or not.

Hobox10 said:
Guys, please. The point of my thread is NOT whether the root claim is a lie or not. I am asking some questions about what can be done with it regardless, so please, if anyone knows inform me, but don't post guessing games of whether it is real or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My main and only real reason for wanting root is for Ad Block ESPECIALLY in youtube. I hate those commercials... You can install Ad Block without root (as I just did) but it just doesn't seem to work as well as it did with my last rooted device... Although I'm not sure if this is the app devs getting more creative with how they get ads through or possibly even a Lollipop things...
The other main reason was so Rocket Player could delete podcasts I had already listened too.. That was resolved with the Lollipop update so I am good to go there...
Some really like Root for Titanium backup to back up ALL app data and settings... This was handy for me back when I was flashing ROMS all the time but without that capability I don't see myself having much of a need for that since the games I play store the data in the Android folder which I don't need root to copy/backup
Another great thing that has come about the last year or so is Xposed modules.. These give you just about ANY customization you could possibly want but of course in order to use them you will also need root..... There is a great app that pulls the commercials from Youtube which I will be checking out if Root is actually here... As I said before I hate hate the ads... Not that I don't buy FULL versions of some of the apps if I find them useful because I do... But with things like Chrome and Youtube I really miss the option of them being disabled... Yes I know Firefox has this built in but I like y Chrome for the ability to send pages from my PC to my phone with the click of a button....
I find that the Note 4 with the help of Apex PRO has helped me gain many of the features I once wanted Root and the ability to flash things for... So now I am just looking for the ability to kill some ads....
There are also a few apps I would delete or freeze with Titanium Backup once we had that option... Turning them off is nice but I want the space back...

dr12volt1338 said:
My main and only real reason for wanting root is for Ad Block ESPECIALLY in youtube. I hate those commercials... You can install Ad Block without root (as I just did) but it just doesn't seem to work as well as it did with my last rooted device... Although I'm not sure if this is the app devs getting more creative with how they get ads through or possibly even a Lollipop things...
The other main reason was so Rocket Player could delete podcasts I had already listened too.. That was resolved with the Lollipop update so I am good to go there...
Some really like Root for Titanium backup to back up ALL app data and settings... This was handy for me back when I was flashing ROMS all the time but without that capability I don't see myself having much of a need for that since the games I play store the data in the Android folder which I don't need root to copy/backup
Another great thing that has come about the last year or so is Xposed modules.. These give you just about ANY customization you could possibly want but of course in order to use them you will also need root..... There is a great app that pulls the commercials from Youtube which I will be checking out if Root is actually here... As I said before I hate hate the ads... Not that I don't buy FULL versions of some of the apps if I find them useful because I do... But with things like Chrome and Youtube I really miss the option of them being disabled... Yes I know Firefox has this built in but I like y Chrome for the ability to send pages from my PC to my phone with the click of a button....
I find that the Note 4 with the help of Apex PRO has helped me gain many of the features I once wanted Root and the ability to flash things for... So now I am just looking for the ability to kill some ads....
There are also a few apps I would delete or freeze with Titanium Backup once we had that option... Turning them off is nice but I want the space back...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm with you on the adblock and it's one of the things I've been looking forward too also. The ads mobile gets is ridiculous, I'm fine with them on most websites on the computer but the mobile versions really kill some things.
Xposed is an interesting topic to me, I've never had any experience with it since I've never really needed it. It will be fun to see what they do. Thanks for the info.

root
Do you know if they release their root tool now? If they do, where is it?

52yt said:
Do you know if they release their root tool now? If they do, where is it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The tool is not out. He's asking what can be done with root.
I want to delete all bloatware, install multi window for all apps, adblock, mxtube downloader, and xposed for 4.4.4
Sent from my SM-N915V

2swizzle said:
The tool is not out. He's asking what can be done with root.
I want to delete all bloatware, install multi window for all apps, adblock, mxtube downloader, and xposed for 4.4.4
Sent from my SM-N915V
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point I forgot about being able to add multi window for non supported apps... It would be really nice for Tapatalk to support it

Ooh multi-window on almost any app sounds awesome!

you can remove pre-loaded carrier apps that cause sluggish instability. improve battery life, and speed up application start times.

Mw-pen app enabler, ive been using since i got this phone. Let's you add apps to multi window. Should work for non system apps. It's worked for me. been my solution until we get root, if we do.

djnikkofb said:
you can remove pre-loaded carrier apps that cause sluggish instability. improve battery life, and speed up application start times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just an fyi: You can disable bloatware without having root by using @gatesjunior's Debloater utility. Here's the link http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2998294
2swizzle said:
The tool is not out. He's asking what can be done with root.
I want to delete all bloatware, install multi window for all apps, adblock, mxtube downloader, and xposed for 4.4.4
Sent from my SM-N915V
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Daciple said:
Mw-pen app enabler, ive been using since i got this phone. Let's you add apps to multi window. Should work for non system apps. It's worked for me. been my solution until we get root, if we do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had no idea that existed or was possible without root. Great find!