I think security risk could be used as a reason to favor web apps over native apps. An untrusted native app has the potential to do much more damage than an untrusted web app.
Massive data stealing vulnerability found in many HTC Android phones
31–40 of 48 posts
Re: Massive data stealing vulnerability found in many HTC Android phones
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
There are only two ways I recommend Android - use a Google-branded phone that Google will provide complete OS support for, or go it alone with OS updates from a 3rd party. For non-geeks the first option is the only viable one, IMHO. You've obviously settled on the same conclusion.
Could you point me in the right direction for 3rd party?
I guess zdw is referring to Cyanogenmod. There might be others, I don't know.
Re: Massive data stealing vulnerability found in many HTC Android phones
#33How many of these phones are going to get a patch or updated firmware to fix this problem? I'm going to guess either very few or none, as most people won't notice/care about this issue, and HTC isn't making any money off supplying updates. Imagine if Microsoft forced Dell, HP, etc. to handle software security and updates on Windows for PC's they've already sold - it would either never happen or not happen correctly.…
Thats why I love the Windows Phone and Apple model rather than android. Windows Phone has had more and frequent updates and they are delivered more consistently across carriers. Same is true for Apple.
Re: Massive data stealing vulnerability found in many HTC Android phones
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
These issues are manufacturer dependent and not Android issues.
They are issues for Android the brand.
And for Google's practice of letting manufacturers do whatever bloody stupid thing they want. I'm stunned that this one ever got into production in its current state.
Re: Massive data stealing vulnerability found in many HTC Android phones
#35How many of these phones are going to get a patch or updated firmware to fix this problem? I'm going to guess either very few or none, as most people won't notice/care about this issue, and HTC isn't making any money off supplying updates. Imagine if Microsoft forced Dell, HP, etc. to handle software security and updates on Windows for PC's they've already sold - it would either never happen or not happen correctly.…
Thats why I love the Windows Phone and Apple model rather than android. Windows Phone has had more and frequent updates and they are delivered more consistently across carriers. Same is true for Apple.
Apple, yes. Windows Phone, seriously? The same Windows Phone which resulted in bricked phones after the NoDo update.
Windows Phone has the same update model as Android. You need manufacturer and carrier compliance for an update to get to a phone. Plus there is no custom ROM alternative like with Android. http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows-7/Windows-Phone-...
Despite the brain-dead implementation that's the cause of this privacy fiasco, HTC has the best track record among Android manufacturers when it comes to releasing updates. So I would hope they address this issue, and fast.
http://androidandme.com/2011/08/news/updates-or-lack-thereof...
Re: Massive data stealing vulnerability found in many HTC Android phones
#36This is an awesome reason to root your phone the second you get it. I've done so to both of my Android phones. You know that cyanogenmod is safe from this kind of blatant wiretapping, and on top of that, you don't have to worry about hassling with it when you need to tether, or when you want to install an application that requires root permissions to function well. :)
Actually sometime back CM rejected patches that would allow you to prevent apps from collecting the device ID (which is obviously quite privacy invasive). I still run CM, but boy do I wish an open-source distribution would spring up that actually respects the phone's owner.
If I remember correctly the patch was rejected due to technical reasons, i.e. rejecting the device ID collection would cause the app to FC (force close) or render it unusable in most cases.
You could try something like LBE Privacy Guard (https://market.android.com/details?id=com.lbe.security) which does let you deny permissions to installed apps, try denying the device ID to apps and see how many of them continue to work. I have, and not many do.
Re: Massive data stealing vulnerability found in many HTC Android phones
#37How many of these phones are going to get a patch or updated firmware to fix this problem? I'm going to guess either very few or none, as most people won't notice/care about this issue, and HTC isn't making any money off supplying updates. Imagine if Microsoft forced Dell, HP, etc. to handle software security and updates on Windows for PC's they've already sold - it would either never happen or not happen correctly.…
One of the affected models, the Thunderbolt, only now started getting updates to Gingerbread this week. That is, until Verizon halted it due to a major usability bug that should have been identified easily in carrier testing (voicemail notifications don't work). Given that it took it took HTC this long to get an update to an Android version that's been available in source since December and they still managed to mess…
How well they manage android version bumps has nothing to do with security updates.
Re: Massive data stealing vulnerability found in many HTC Android phones
#38One more reason that I'm awfully glad I'm running CyanogenMod on my Sensation.
Re: Massive data stealing vulnerability found in many HTC Android phones
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
They are issues for Android the brand.
And for Google's practice of letting manufacturers do whatever bloody stupid thing they want. I'm stunned that this one ever got into production in its current state.
> They are issues for Linux the brand.
> And for Linus's practice of letting distributions do > whatever bloody stupid thing they want. I'm stunned that > this one ever got into production in its current state.
Fixed that for you.
Re: Massive data stealing vulnerability found in many HTC Android phones
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thats why I love the Windows Phone and Apple model rather than android. Windows Phone has had more and frequent updates and they are delivered more consistently across carriers. Same is true for Apple.
Apple, yes. Windows Phone, seriously? The same Windows Phone which resulted in bricked phones after the NoDo update. Windows Phone has the same update model as Android. You need manufacturer and carrier compliance for an update to get to a phone. Plus there is no custom ROM alternative like with Android. http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows-7/Windows-Phone-... Despite the brain-dead implementation that's the c…
Windows Phone is an infant platform as compared to Apple and Android. But yet look at how fast they learnt after the NoDo delays. Have you gotten the Mango update yet? It rolled out to exsting phones already. And that is not just in US but worldwide. How many updates has Android pushed so soon to its existing phones and that too so widely?