Earlier quoted context omitted.
How is the security risk propaganda?
It's not (only) propaganda. Rooting disables or bypasses verified boot, allowing exploits to persist across a reboot.
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Samsung embeds IronSource spyware app on phones across WANA
231–240 of 500 posts
Re: Samsung embeds IronSource spyware app on phones across WANA
#232making it nearly impossible for regular users to uninstall it without root access, which voids warranties and poses security risks Stop parroting the corporate propaganda that put us into this stupid situation in the first place. Having root access on devices you own should be a fundamental right, as otherwise it's not ownership.
Root access is an outdated security concept from the previous century. Trying to mandate such a concept is parroting UNIX propaganda. Users can be given control of devices without them having a "root" account.
I agree. I would love to have an "advanced permissions manager" that lets me specify that AccA can write to the /sys devices for the charge controller and AdAway can write to /etc/hosts, but not the reverse.
That doesn't give me any less power than root, but does give those apps less power and limits the potential impact if one gets compromised. I think when most people say the device owner should be able to get root, they mean that the owner, rather than the manufacturer or OS vendor should have the final say in all cases, not that it has to literally work just like root on Unix.
Re: Samsung embeds IronSource spyware app on phones across WANA
#233Re: Samsung embeds IronSource spyware app on phones across WANA
#234Earlier quoted context omitted.
Computer usage and consequently threat landscape went through a crazy change from 40/50 years ago. Desktops are a minority of devices. If you take personal devices even more so. Most people in the world with a computer have just a pocket one. Especially in WANA countries discussed If you talk to regular non IT savvy people many of them don't bother and correctly assume that at some point it will "get a virus" or some…
> almost no one uses desktop for critical stuff like payment or finance What? This makes no sense. For something where security matters, using the desktop is the only rational choice. I never, ever, allow any sensitive information through the phone since it is not a trusted device.
You are just another example why most people ranting on HN about the topic of rooting phones are out of touch. No offense.
Re: Samsung embeds IronSource spyware app on phones across WANA
#235Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is a good point. While there is nothing factually incorrect in the statement “rooting your phone can void your warranty and pose a security risk”, if you imagine factual statements are the same thing as value judgments it becomes very problematic. Similarly it is pretty messed up when people say stuff like “fire can burn you if you aren’t careful” because so many people rely on fire for food and warmth.
Having your vehicle serviced by someone other than the dealer could void your warranty and poses a safety risk. Cooking animal products at home poses a health risk. You should be sure to only ever consume animal products prepared by a duly licensed establishment. The chauffeur's union would like to take this opportunity to remind you that amateurs operating their own motor vehicles risk serious injury and even death.…
> Having your vehicle serviced by someone other than the dealer could void your warranty and poses a safety risk
Good tongue in cheek post, but in the US Magnuson-Moss prohibits warranty claim denials merely on the basis of non-OEM parts and service. It also puts the burden on the manufacturer to demonstrate the defect or failure was the direct result of the non-OEM part. Other jurisdictions have similar laws on the books.
Right to repair already exists in certain aspects and needs to be expanded (and enforced. Tons of those ‘will void warranty’ stickers are lies and you have legal rights to poke around)
Re: Samsung embeds IronSource spyware app on phones across WANA
#236Earlier quoted context omitted.
https://www.reddit.com/r/samsunggalaxy/comments/mtakqq/how_t... Yeah, all Samsung software is a liability. Don't even get me started on the Samsung smart TVs. Just horrible all-around.
Thats why my Samsung TV has no internet access and I'm using Apple TV instead.
From the fire into....
Re: Samsung embeds IronSource spyware app on phones across WANA
#237it's now a case of choosing between who you least care about spying on you - think I'll choose a Chinese phone next time, at least they're not currently engaged in genociding children
They're currently engaged in doing all kinds of awful things that we know about, and no doubt lots of even worse things that we don't. Try looking up Xinjiang, Tibet, or the Falun Gong for a taste. There are no innocent world superpowers.
No, but China has a better track record than the US.
Re: Samsung embeds IronSource spyware app on phones across WANA
#238Earlier quoted context omitted.
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... What? You make no sense. Just let users that know what they are doing root their device while normies stay in userland.
The neat thing here is that we don’t have to make uninformed speculation about this, we can just look at how it worked in the past. Anyone who did family tech support in the 2000s knew that every family visit involved removing all of the malware their relatives had installed – ESPECIALLY the ones who “knew” what they are doing! – and it was even odds that you’d see stuff like that on computers at businesses, libraries, banks, etc. All you had to do was say it’d improve system performance, give them free coupons or porn, and they’d trip over themselves to install it. This is why iPads and ChromeOS devices became so popular because everyone who actually knows how to use a computer safely knows people who say they do but absolutely do not.
It’s also important to learn how the modern abuse industry works. Since the 2000s, malware has grown into a multi-billion dollar highly professional industry used by governments around the world and the scammers have professionalized as well. You should look at some of the YouTube videos of scammers social engineering people into giving them remote access, approving bank MFA challenges, or talking them into making cryptocurrency purchases - and while we might sneer and say they’re uneducated or careless, most of them are distracted or old, just like most of us will be some day. If there’s a prompt, millions of people will approve it and if it means their device can no longer be trusted that’s a lot of money and e-waste.
I don’t like any of this. I want to have root on every device because I grew up with unfettered PCs (first installed Linux .9 using a disk editor, etc. etc.) but the landscape has changed since then. We can’t pretend otherwise, but we could call for regulation to balance the interests of owners and device manufacturers just as we allow people to customize their cars without giving up the concept of safety or emissions testing.
Re: Samsung embeds IronSource spyware app on phones across WANA
#239Earlier quoted context omitted.
LG back in the day. I miss my V20. What a weird, but wonderful phone.
I'm still using a V20 as my main phone. The recent app icons at the extra top section of the screen really make juggling active apps fast. I don't think any phone has had this feature since.
I loved the second screen. Does Spotify still work with it? That was a cool thing.
Re: Samsung embeds IronSource spyware app on phones across WANA
#240The "unremovable" part is inaccurate. While you can't completely remove it because it resides on the system partition, you most probably can still disable it with an adb command: adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.package.name This command is very powerful as it works for any app, even those that have "disable" greyed out in the settings. I disabled the Galaxy Store on my S9 this way for example.
Words don't just have a literal, technical meaning. If the phone itself doesn't allow a straightforward, user friendly happy-path for removal, it might as well be "unremovable" in a sense that it is indeed unremovable for most users. "adb shell etc" implies that one has a PC with this tool correctly installed, and many people don't even have a PC in the first place. Then comes the case of installing adb, setting it u…
The article claims the app can only be removed with root access, which requires more difficult and technical steps to attain than running an adb command. If uninstalling the app with adb works and doesn't result in the app being promptly reinstalled, then the article has a significant factual error.