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posted by
LaminatorX
on Thursday March 13 2014, @10:12AM
from the either-a-benefit-or-a-hazard dept.
from the either-a-benefit-or-a-hazard dept.
Rashek writes:
"The developers of Replicant, a pure Free-Software version of Android, claim to have discovered a security flaw in certain Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets . One so serious that it could potentially grant an attacker remote access to the device's file system.
The flaw lies in the software that enables communication between the Android OS and the device's radio modem, according to the Replicant project's Paul Kocialkowski. More information can be found at replicant's website."
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Backdoor Found in Samsung Galaxy Devices
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I'm not a robot like you. I don't like having disks crammed into me... unless they're Oreos, and then only in the mouth.
-- Fry
(Score: 5, Interesting) by SuggestiveLanguage on Thursday March 13 2014, @02:00PM
This back-door news is yet another data-point proof that vendor-controlled devices can never, ever be trusted to work in the best interests of the user, nor can they ever be truly owned by the end-user.
The increasingly hardened firmware on my Galaxy Tab 10.2 has frustrated rooting to the the point I'm afraid to seriously try it for fear of bricking the hardware. I naively thought I was purchasing a tool for my exclusive use as a mostly disconnected device and I could simply scrape-off the bloatware and install some kind of firewall. Hoo boy was I ever wrong. There are a myriad of uninstallable Samsung and Google adware and spyware constantly running and communicating, ever so eager to sling sub-standard products and phone home with my entire usage history. My only thin strand of control a software-only "Blocking Mode" and a desktop folder to shovel the crapware out of sight.
As for hardware control? Forget it. On top of the Samsung's aggressive attempts and blocking root access, Android ICS made accessing full USB communication an increasingly obsfucated process which is never a good sign from any software vendor. Every firmware update brings more uninstallable Samsung-branded bloatware designed to monetize everything I do. I wonder what crapware, spyware or lock-down is bundled in the next software or firmware update and exactly how it's going to worsen my user experience, push products, reduce functionality and force-feed their underwhelming consumer products down my gullet. When called-out Samsung points the finger at Google and Google points the finger at Samsung, but from my perspective they both are both playing the same game with the end user.
At least a rental car doesn't tell me what gas stations to visit...yet. I have less privacy and control and software choice with any tablet on the market than any my PCs or Macs. I don't own this device, I'm simply renting it from Samsung (or Apple or whoever) and they could, for all practical purposes, change the software or disable the device at will forcing me to blow my money to buy a new one.
Welp, it may be long-past time to sell the rental-tablet and dust off the 'ol x61 tablet and install KDE or Ubuntu's whateveritscalledthisweek. I'm now perfectly willing to put up with a little bulk in exchange for owning my computer.
(Score: 2) by stormwyrm on Friday March 14 2014, @12:20AM
Which is why, despite my misgivings about Google in general, I bought myself a Nexus 7 the other day to replace my ageing Asus Transformer. Whatever else you might say about the Nexus line, it seems to be true that Google doesn't play those kinds of games you describe to such a great extent on the Nexus devices. I unlocked and rooted it immediately after getting it using a relatively simple procedure (whose main difficulty was getting the correct USB drivers installed on Windows), used some tools to neuter the worst of Google's bloatware, and am shopping around XDA for some decent custom firmware to trim the rest of it off. The only thing I hate about the Nexus devices is the fact that they don't have expandable storage, but that's a small price to pay for being able to retain some level of ownership over my device.
Qu'on me donne six lignes écrites de la main du plus honnête homme, j'y trouverai de quoi le faire pendre.
(Score: 2) by Open4D on Friday March 14 2014, @06:07AM
... although there are 2 Nexus devices on Repliocant's list [replicant.us]. The "Nexus S" and its successor the "Galaxy Nexus", both produced jointly by Samsung and Google.
Don't forget the non-removable batteries on recent models.
Still, I agree that Nexus devices [wikipedia.org] are a relatively good bet. If I wanted a tablet device I might well end up with a Nexus.
For a phone though, I'm aware of some potentially better options, including:
http://europe.oppostyle.com/ [oppostyle.com]
http://www.fairphone.com/ [fairphone.com] (Don't necessarily be put off by the awkward website)
http://neo900.org/ [neo900.org]