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What happens when your phone is spying on you

today.ucsd.edu

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Re: What happens when your phone is spying on you

#11

Post by paulmd »

CharlesW wrote: post #7
sizzle wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are surreptitious ways to achieving covert monitoring on iOS. To say this applies to Android only is simply untrue. You can do things via MDM on iOS for example and install spyware “monitoring” apps/set OS level permissions that are invisible to non tech saavy users. Also if you have access to the device and the iCloud password/device pin (e.g. abusive partner scenario, etc.) then non tech saavy people don’t st…

> To say this applies to Android only is simply untrue. To be fair, this particular issue — the creative abuse of Android APIs by "stalkerware" apps — applies to Android only. Also, MDMs on iPhones can't do the kinds of covert monitoring that this paper discusses. They can't access texts, emails, photos or other personal messages or data within apps on a device.

well, thanks to the EU, it's going to apply to Apple real soon too. This is one of the things app store review and fully enforcable permissioning prevents (prevented).

https://9to5mac.com/2022/12/13/apple-alternative-app-stores-...

So much for the "app store is like 1984" marketing spin that Epic put out lol. Now you have the freedom to have spyware installed on your phone... which is what I and many others have been saying all along. Not just abusive spouses but Facebook and others will be all over this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euiSHuaw6Q4

As I said previously... Facebook and others already have this sort of spyware ready to go, because they were already using their developer credentials to get users to sideload it for data mining. Now it won't be optional/"we'll give you a gift card", it'll just be mandatory if you want to use Facebook on a ios device. Sorry this device is not supported via web, please install the native app.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/01/facebook-and-google-...

Re: What happens when your phone is spying on you

#12

Post by charcircuit »

>They collect a range of sensitive information such as location, texts and calls, as well as audio and video.

This sentence ruins the credibility of the article because Android doesn't let you do this. The camera, microphone, can only be used when an app is in the foreground. For location data being tracked in the background it will have a persistent notification telling the user that an app has your location. For an app to read your call log or SMSs it has to be set as the phone's default phone or SMS app.

This combined with androids reminders to review the permissions for apps that have dangerous permissions and Play Protect which can detect and remove spyware this article is giving Android much less credit than it deserves.

Re: What happens when your phone is spying on you

#13

Post by baxtr »

sizzle wrote: post #5
victor106 wrote: post #3

The title needs to be updated to say “Android”

There are surreptitious ways to achieving covert monitoring on iOS. To say this applies to Android only is simply untrue. You can do things via MDM on iOS for example and install spyware “monitoring” apps/set OS level permissions that are invisible to non tech saavy users. Also if you have access to the device and the iCloud password/device pin (e.g. abusive partner scenario, etc.) then non tech saavy people don’t st…

I don’t think it’s black and white.

But the two systems are pretty much on opposite end of the spectrum.

Re: What happens when your phone is spying on you

#14

Post by paulmd »

CharlesW wrote: post #9
photochemsyn wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This quote in the article seems overly optimistic: > "While Google does not permit the sale of such apps on its Google Play app store, Android phones commonly allow such invasive apps to be downloaded separately via the Web. The iPhone, in comparison, does not allow such “side loading” and thus consumer spyware apps on this platform tend to be far more limited and less invasive in capabilities." Recommended: https://…

Once an iPhone is jailbroken, yes — anything goes. The paper describes an Android attack that just requires an app install that "[does] not require specialized technical know-how to deploy or operate".

or more generally when you're going up against nation-state level actors, such as in your link. In that case yeah all bets are off, NSA and Mossad (and places commercializing technology developed for them) are gonna get in your phone if they want to.

But this is still qualitatively different from android where the threat model is "connect USB cable and run ADB command", if even that much.

Re: What happens when your phone is spying on you

#15

Post by robin_reala »

zw123456 wrote: post #10

Something happened to me the other day, I started drafting a text using the regular text messaging app on my android phone, I was sending it to a friend, but I got distracted by a call and never sent the text. Later I went to finish it and send it but he had gone in and put some smart-alec comment in the text of the message I was drafting. I was shocked. He refuses to tell me how he did it. I went through all the set…

Hate to say it, but he doesn’t sound like much of a friend if he’s owned your phone and refuses to elaborate on how.

Re: What happens when your phone is spying on you

#16

Post by cyberbanjo »

sizzle wrote: post #5
victor106 wrote: post #3

The title needs to be updated to say “Android”

There are surreptitious ways to achieving covert monitoring on iOS. To say this applies to Android only is simply untrue. You can do things via MDM on iOS for example and install spyware “monitoring” apps/set OS level permissions that are invisible to non tech saavy users. Also if you have access to the device and the iCloud password/device pin (e.g. abusive partner scenario, etc.) then non tech saavy people don’t st…

TFA: We focus on Android-based spyware because most of the mobile spyware market appears to be focused there. Since curated app stores like Google Play do not permit the sale of such apps, in practice they must be side-loaded off-store, a process that Apple does not support. As a result, consumer mobile spyware only operates on “rooted” iPhones. Rooting an iPhone can be a technically involved operation (one popular guide to jailbreaking the iPhone involves 41 distinct steps [17]) and one that can take significant time to complete — both requirements at odds with the broad, non-technical customer base such apps are marketed to. We also focus on leading spyware apps as they are the apps that more people are exposed to and they are more likely to be innovative (new features could potentially bring them more customers).

Re: What happens when your phone is spying on you

#17

Post by b112 »

charcircuit wrote: post #12

>They collect a range of sensitive information such as location, texts and calls, as well as audio and video. This sentence ruins the credibility of the article because Android doesn't let you do this. The camera, microphone, can only be used when an app is in the foreground. For location data being tracked in the background it will have a persistent notification telling the user that an app has your location. For an…

Doesn't overlay do the same?

Re: What happens when your phone is spying on you

#18

Post by uoaei »

charcircuit wrote: post #12

>They collect a range of sensitive information such as location, texts and calls, as well as audio and video. This sentence ruins the credibility of the article because Android doesn't let you do this. The camera, microphone, can only be used when an app is in the foreground. For location data being tracked in the background it will have a persistent notification telling the user that an app has your location. For an…

> The camera, microphone, can only be used when an app is in the foreground.

This is not true. This may be partially true on the latest Android, but you can still set permissions to use e.g. GPS all the time, for things like weather or GPX recording apps.

But it's also important to remember that the vast majority (easily 90%) of devices out there are running EoL'd Android versions, nevermind Android 12 and 13.

Re: What happens when your phone is spying on you

#19

Post by NextHendrix »

zw123456 wrote: post #10

Something happened to me the other day, I started drafting a text using the regular text messaging app on my android phone, I was sending it to a friend, but I got distracted by a call and never sent the text. Later I went to finish it and send it but he had gone in and put some smart-alec comment in the text of the message I was drafting. I was shocked. He refuses to tell me how he did it. I went through all the set…

He might've paired a bluetooth keyboard to your phone at some point.

Re: What happens when your phone is spying on you

#20

Post by davchana »

zw123456 wrote: post #10

Something happened to me the other day, I started drafting a text using the regular text messaging app on my android phone, I was sending it to a friend, but I got distracted by a call and never sent the text. Later I went to finish it and send it but he had gone in and put some smart-alec comment in the text of the message I was drafting. I was shocked. He refuses to tell me how he did it. I went through all the set…

Do you mean your friend edited your draft sms? Did he had physical access to your phone? Are you using stock android app or anything special? What make model is your phone?

By definition he should not see "your" draft on "his" phone.

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