Even more Android security woes as computer scientists discover permissions gap

Calculator and mobile device security is a tough business. There's hype and then in that location are real threats and so far most in mobile accept been hype (but encounter AVG-gate). Nonetheless, Android is either an OS with a lot of security vulnerabilities or anybody just likes to pick on it. Either way, between Carrier IQ earlier this calendar week and now this paper from North Carolina Land Academy, the little robot is having a tough time.

Reckoner scientists at NCSU created an app called 'Woodpecker' that would search for app vulnerabilities in Androids's permission-based security model. In short, when you install an app in Android, it tells you what that app can access due east.g. user info, data, geolocation, recording sound, etc. Basically if you don't think a wallpaper app should have access to say, recording sounds, you lot preclude the app from installing. The problem is this: apps tin unknowingly grant permissions to other apps, allowing a seemingly innocuous program to gain admission to functions not agreed to past the user.

In the newspaper (PDF), the researchers looked at eight Android phones: HTC Legend, EVO 4G, Wildfire South; Samsung Epic 4G; Motorola Droid, Droid ten and Google Nexus I and Southward. But on-board, pre-installed software was analyzed e.yard. OEM or carrier software, but not tertiary party apps. In brusque, they found they could install apps that had access to higher level functions non specifically granted past the user via what is called a "confused deputy attack" where "where ane app is tricked by another into improperly exercising its privileges". The culprit? OEM apps that unwittingly revealed their higher level permissions to 'Woodpecker--the more OEM apps, the more vulnerable. This is because, according to the researchers, "...app markets practice not study the actual permissions granted to an app. Instead they written report just the permissions an app requests or embodied in the manifest file".

As can exist seen in the video above, an app is installed with these college level functions but no alarm was issued during installation. The question is this: is this a existent threat or potential? Looks to be potential only at this point, but then again who knows. The researchers concluded it does "constitute a tangible security weakness" for Android.

"These leaked capabilities can be exploited to wipe out the user information, send out SMS messages (due east.chiliad., to premium numbers), record user conversation, or obtain the user's geo-location data on the affected phones – all without asking for any permission."

Windows Telephone seems to be inoculated against such attacks because, in theory, the apps are vetted. But and so again, the AVG app did get by Microsoft meaning perhaps even Windows Phone apps could have similar vulnerabilities (what are called "capability leaks"). That AVG app, according to Justin Affections, improperly used the Geo Location (GeoCoordinateWatcher) in a fashion not granted by the certification guidelines. 1 matter working in our favor though is the sand-boxed nature of our Bone and apps, meaning deep-level functions cannot be touched (unless you hack and interop-unlock, of course).

Source: NCSU; via The Register

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