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Android Devices Are at Risk of Data Theft (2020)

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Re: Android Devices Are at Risk of Data Theft (2020)

#21
post #11

My smartphone is a simple affair. I have a hardened Firefox as my default browser (uBlock Origin with JS disabled by default with HTTPS-Everywhere addon with EASE turned on). I keep my app-count to a minimum. There are people who need every app imaginable, but that increases the attack surface of the phone. Try to minimize the amount of apps on your phone please! Then of course all the usual OPSEC practices like not…

You can do a little more if you have root access, like use XPrivacyLua to restrict the amount of data and hardware apps like your browser have access to, and AdAway to block ads globally (protects you from app telemetry that shares data with third parties). You can also run a DoT server and point your phone there to protect your DNS queries from random WiFi networks you may have to connect to, or better run a VPN server and stay connected to it. Also whenever you can, always replace the OS that comes preinstalled with LineageOS (just makes sure everything works for your phone, like the camera and LTE). With the latest LineageOS you can also restrict internet access per app and per network type, though AFWall+ still gives better control over that. For the extremely suspicious apps you can install them on the work profile for extra isolation with Island (Play Store) or Insular (F-Droid).

Re: Android Devices Are at Risk of Data Theft (2020)

#22
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple doesn't have a spotless record with security. However, they are significantly better at pushing updates. A large majority of eligible iOS devices install OS updates, and iOS devices tend to be eligible for updates for many years. Additionally, because sales are much lower for iOS than Android, it's hard to get to the same scale. I don't know about iPad numbers, but 1 billion iPhones is about 5 years of sales, a…

> that combines with other factors and very few devices make it past five years of use The original version of the iPhone SE and the iPhone 6s are six years old now. They run the current version of iOS and still work just fine.

How many of those sold six years ago are still operating?

My guess is many have had something go wrong to the point that they're no longer used.

Re: Android Devices Are at Risk of Data Theft (2020)

#23
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> that combines with other factors and very few devices make it past five years of use The original version of the iPhone SE and the iPhone 6s are six years old now. They run the current version of iOS and still work just fine.

How many of those sold six years ago are still operating? My guess is many have had something go wrong to the point that they're no longer used.

The iPhone 6 and SE are still hugely popular in Asia. I see them everywhere, and there is a whole after market economy for repairs and parts replacement.

Re: Android Devices Are at Risk of Data Theft (2020)

#24
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many of those sold six years ago are still operating? My guess is many have had something go wrong to the point that they're no longer used.

The iPhone 6 and SE are still hugely popular in Asia. I see them everywhere, and there is a whole after market economy for repairs and parts replacement.

They are also still hugely popular in the US.

Even the performance under the current OS, six years later, is still fine.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/09/ios-14-on-the-iphone...

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