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Security Flaw In Android Web Browser
r writes "The New York Times reports on a security flaw discovered in the new Android phones. The article is light on details, but it hints at a security hole in the browser, allowing for trojans to install themselves in the same security partition as the browser: 'The risk in the Google design, according to Mr. Miller, who is a principal security analyst at Independent Security Evaluators in Baltimore, lies in the danger from within the Web browser partition in the phone. It would be possible, for example, for an intruder to install software that would capture keystrokes entered by the user when surfing to other Web sites. That would make it possible to steal identity information or passwords.'"
It'll be interesting to see how fast Google reacts to this. Their quality assurance has been questioned recently in the light of GMail going down, oddities with Google Ads, and so on. With luck they'll become software heros, but they also risk a huge backlash if they don't pay attention to quality issues in the face of others that are trying.
---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
It seems Mr. Miller doesn't like the Google Phone much. He should have notified Google of the bug and give them time to fix it before going public (as Google states in TFA).
-- Cheers!
Erm, the entire source code for Android is now available, so yes, you can download it, fix it, compile it, then flash it onto your phone, or maybe a different phone.
Did mothafuckas believe they'd be able their own encrypted VPN VoIP applications?
I think you accidentally a whole verb.
somebody broke slashdot
It would be interesting to hear more about this hack as they seem to make a pretty bold and bogus claim in the article:
"Unlike modern personal computers and other advanced smartphones like the iPhone, the Google phone creates a series of software compartments that limit the access of an intruder to a single application."
The iPhone is very compartmentalized. That is why there is no cut and paste - all apps are limited to their own directory. Anyone that has jailbroken an iPhone is familiar with how one app can NOT access data in another apps directory unless permissions are changed.
Anyone else know more about this comment? It is true for WinMo smartphones - no perms at all, but I am pretty sure that the iPhone does not apply. Is this just a dig at apple?
He should have notified Google of the bug and give them time to fix it before going public (as Google states in TFA).
..according to Mr. Miller, who is a principal security analyst at Independent Security Evaluators in Baltimore
It wouldn't have given him a name. Now, when the CIOs are reading the tech highlights on their Crackberries, what they'll see is Miller-Independent-Security-Evaluators-Baltimore-finds-security-flaw. And then think ... must hire next time I need security advice.
In this incredibly competitive world where you're competing with everyone all over the World and there's plenty of folks who'll do it cheaper, you have to find ways to stand out. Never compete on price because there's always someone who'll do it cheaper. Could he have told Google? Sure. But it wouldn't have made a splash in the media and when it got posted here on Slashdot, it would have said instead that "Google fixes security flaw" with no mention of Miller.
So, that's is why Mr. Miller jumped the gun and published his findings.
Being in business can really suck.
You seem to be confusing Android with a particular Android device. Unfortunately, thanks largely to the delightsome world of the telcomms, phones are a disgusting mass of lockdown, including Android ones. OpenMoko excepted.
Android itself is, IIRC, Apache licenced, which certainly qualifies as free software. Unlike GPL3 stuff, though, it does not enforce your freedom on particular devices. It would have been very nice if Android had done that, the world could really use more phones that live up to their computery potential; but I suspect that, had google done so, the response would have been fewer android phones, not freer android phones.
Did mothafuckas believe they'd be able their own encrypted VPN VoIP applications?
I think you accidentally a whole verb.
Not the whole thing!
Are you speaking from experience? You flashed android onto a phone (and it works)? Or maybe you're just blowing it out your ass. If it was that simple, nobody would be complaining about tivo.
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
Are you sure you can flash new firmware onto the G1 based on the source, without the binary needing to be signed by T-Mobile?
Being able to actually use personal builds doesn't necessary follow from the source being available.
Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
It will be interesting to see how quickly Google fixes this compared to how long it took Apple to fix the security issues in Safari on the iPhone (a couple months, I believe, was their slowest).
Portable versions of Firefox, GIMP, LibreOffice, etc
Don't click the link above unless you have something stuck in your stomach that you're trying to get out.
This space up for sale.
Yep. Of course you will probably have to write new device drivers for a different phone. And judging by this comment it seems that the not all of the source for the G1 is available.
NOW do you see why we call everything we do a "beta"? Sheesh! Your Friend, Google
Repant. Thy end is sheer.
Actually yes you can, we haven't tried with the G1 yet, but have been putting Android on previous HTC models for quite a bit (even before Android was released)
his point is that the troll's blatant flamebaiting:
is untrue.
users do in fact have access to the source and can compile it themselves. whether your phone is currently supported or has open hardware is a different and unrelated matter. you're flaming him on a completely inapt issue. just because he can't compile the linux kernal himself doesn't mean that it's not open source. or just because my copy of Microsoft Word won't read ODF doesn't mean it's not an open format.
so true. you have to wonder what cellular networks would be like if they were not closed proprietary infrastructure.
of course there are the obvious things like:
but there'd be other less-obvious indirect benefits, such as:
this may seem like a pipe dream right now, but it might happen if wireless access internet becomes a basic public utility like roads and sidewalks. VoIP services like Vonage are already stealling business customers from conventional telecoms because of their competitive pricing. old business models will no longer be viable in the information age as closed proprietary specialized communication networks are assimilated by the open and public internet, which is a generalized communication network that can serve the needs of telecommunication, radio broadcast, TV broadcast, etc.
And I want a pony, doesn't mean I'm gonna get it though. The reason your dream, as wondersoem as it is, will never happen is becuase of money. Infrastructure doesn't just grow out of the ground, it costa money lots of it. And carriers have to first invest in infrastucture and then the profit follow, so you better beleive they are going to fight tooth and nail for every square inch of it that the ycan get. The only way your dream will ever happen is if the governments go back to heavily subsidizing and regulating the industry in an open and fair way. But of course that wont happen because that's communism, unless it fattens the wallet of a politician in whcih case it becomes "helping the consumer." Either way, no telcom dream for you, and no pony for me.
I may agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to face the consequences of saying it.
Ummmm...
My AT&T phone lets me use any MP3 as long as it's less than 60 seconds long and a couple of sampling requirements. Which tells me it's related to the ringtone playback software not some lockdown. Also the Googlephone allows this.
What's an "Actual network cost" I'm happy that 14 year old girls are subsidizing my actual network costs with their outrageous text messaging fees. With an unlimited data plan you can IM all you want through chat applications. For instance the Google phone's best feature is its notifications pane which does an amazing job of managing all your internet aware apps. So forget text messaging and just use GTalk or MSN or whatever IM clients it supports. Also with the google phone I think TMobile includes texting with the data plan so you could do that too.
Again. Android has little to zero branding. IPhone has almost no branding. HTC Touch/TouchPro/Diamond don't seem very heavily branded or modified. Even my AT&T Phone looks like any other LG Phone except that it has AT&T up on the status pane. OH NO!
How would this magical "no redundancy" network operate exactly? And how would they share space? "Oh sorry I already have a tower in downtown New York. Too bad for you! And if someone's tower coverage was poor who do you complain to? Who's tower was it? That sounds like a fantastic way to develop a network monopoly. I also don't see how this free for all would result in better coverage in rural areas. I'm suspicious that the only profit that they derive from those towers as it is--is from urban centers offsetting their costs and offering the rural areas to ensure their customers can roam.
Considering all handsets tend to be carrier subsidized I'm not certain how all phones being sold at retail price would be considered "cheaper". It would certainly mean less lock-in but I don't know about cheaper. I'm not going to pay $600 for a smart phone I know that.
Again. I'm not certain what draconian rules you're refering to. Let's take Android as an example. What draconian rules are being imposed? The only software I think that is banned is VOIP software. And that would probably be spectacularly spotty in quality over a wireless data link. VOIP requires nice low latency coverage. Low Latency and multi-point wireless broadband are not synonymous. This might be true of my AT&T LG phone. But the sky is the limit with just about every single Windows Mobile, Android or iPhone.
I'm all about dumb fat pipe but I disagree strongly with how far from that we currently are. Furthermore. I also disagree that our cellphone networks are ready for a dumb fat pipe to work well.
You don't actually need to replace the entire firmware of the phone.
The Application Framework is designed in a way that permits you to replace any application with your own application. Be it the dialer, contacts manager or web browser.
That said, i would still like to know if there are already any efforts of trying to replace the entire firmware. I presume the HTC phone is designed (or android has been modified) in a way that prevents that kind of tampering, but i still have not heard of any hacking attempts.
Hello reverse engineers ? :-)
newsflash: new software has bugs
Did a 4chan meme posted anonymously just get modded +5 on slashdot?
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This is good in a way similar to the iPhone Safari attacks, while it is bad as any security flaw is, this might pave a way for unlocking, etc.
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
G1 lets you use any mp3 on your phone for any notification, regardless of length.