All Questions
Tagged with android smartphone
59 questions
1
vote
3
answers
268
views
Can my phone got infected if visit my mail inbox without opening any mail attachments?
I've found some articles saying some viruses/malware can attack your device by just opening an email without downloading or opening any attachments.
Is this true?
If yes, how risky for ordinary mail ...
- 11
9
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Is it possible to identify a phone model by screenshot stripped of metadata?
I.e., by comparing the dimensions of the screenshot and size / position of UI elements, without the aid of metadata?
- 199
1
vote
0
answers
150
views
Different types of USB charger attacks that work on Android phones
I'm wondering about different types of malicious USB charger attacks that work on Android devices when USB debugging option is disabled and if the USB option is set to "charge only".
I'm not ...
1
vote
0
answers
303
views
Can you decrypt storage from an Android phone directly from the flash?
I have an old phone that I am trying to recover the data from. I was hoping to desolder the chip and buy an expensive reader for NAND flash chips but then it occurred to me that the contents of the ...
- 111
1
vote
0
answers
108
views
Can you exclude scanning of a particular app or file on Avast Antivirus for Samsung?
I have Avast pro for my Samsung. I searched the whole app but I cant find the option to exclude/whitelist an app or file from scanning. Is there such an option for android? I looked through their ...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
4k
views
How does phone tracking by police work?
For android phones in India
can police get a phone's IMEI number just by using that phone's number?
also suppose if a phone was moving around within few miles radius for few days and it was turned ...
- 35
5
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Data and Account security on Android phone in case of it being stolen
How secure are Android smartphones when someone gets physical access to the phone, in other words, someone stealing my phone and how to improve this security?
I'm especially worried about all the ...
- 83
0
votes
2
answers
908
views
How to realistically de-google an Android smartphone?
Smartphones have the options to selectively disable tracking in the settings menu. By visiting this menu, you can manually disable each application from having permission to access your private data ...
- 15
1
vote
1
answer
138
views
Android- ads in applications are in local language even when using proxy
I have noticed some weird behavior on my smartphone that I can't explain myself.
I'm using Orbot application as proxy to route all of the phone's internet traffic through the Tor network.
When I ...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Can two antivirus softwares work on one android phone?
Scenario: You have one antivirus installed on your phone. You suspect that your phone might have malware on it so you do a system scan and your AV doesn't find anything. So you decide to download ...
- 1
0
votes
2
answers
9k
views
Is it possible for someone to spy on an Android phone without using spying apps?
Can a “bad guy” spy on an android phone without installing spy apps (those apps that require payment)? By “spying”, I mean using key logger, screenshots, read messages and so on.
Is it possible to spy ...
user256642
0
votes
1
answer
618
views
Why don't researchers care about iOS malware? [closed]
I see Android malware being mentioned when reading peer reviewed papers about malware detection for smartphones, but iOS is never mentioned.
Even Malwarebytes says:
Historically, iOS has never been ...
- 1,157
1
vote
0
answers
167
views
Android System Update Spyware Can Steal Your Photos, Money, Record Calls and Track You Too. What to do if this happens? [closed]
I came across this website and suddenly I got worried.
What worries me is apart from the system update threat mentioned I have been visiting so many sites, clicked on pop-ups, downloaded apps from ...
- 121
1
vote
0
answers
152
views
Can android spyware access photos of my phone
I have installed some mod apks on my phone few days ago and i am feared that if they contain any type of spyware then can they access photos of my phone?
0
votes
2
answers
641
views
Do android spyware apps comes attached with games or mod apk files?
I have installed several mod apps of Netflix, amazon prime, games apk from google in android v10. Can spyware be installed through these apk. these apps have not taken much permissions from me they ...
15
votes
1
answer
8k
views
Secure way to hold private keys in the Android app
What would be the most appropriate way to store private keys for barcode signing in the Android app?
Probably most experts here would say - just don't do it, cause it's insecure...
But I would like to ...
- 259
2
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Can an android phone that is flashed to a trusted safe rom still be malicious?
I'm in the market for a new phone. The cheapest ones with decent specs are from China. Unfortunately I've read articles of phones sending data back to China for spying purposes.
The phone I am looking ...
- 225
0
votes
3
answers
899
views
Android phone's lockscreen PIN disappeared?
I own a ZTE Axon 7 (model 2017G) that I purchased secondhand from a reputable vendor in Germany ca. 3 years ago. The phone has been working well, and I updated the OS to Android 8.0. manually earlier ...
- 181
0
votes
1
answer
175
views
Bi-monthly Android traffic to a URL getting blocked
Last month, I reset my cell phone, also immediately installed Malwarebytes and Avast. Every scan until now was/is safe.
But I also have a virus scanner which is included in my ISP safety package (...
- 11
2
votes
1
answer
235
views
how to protect smartphone data against theft?
i assume typical android has fully encrypted disk with a key stored in a header. header is encrypted using pin / pattern / fingerprint or not encrypted when there is no lock. is that correct?
when ...
- 299
0
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Android 10 downloaded suspicious files without my permission
This is my first question on this forum so please let me know if I need to clarify anything.
My Android 10 Pixel 2 just downloaded 2 files without my permission today, both named something to the ...
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Is Android encryption secure? [duplicate]
As far as I know Android (Pie) is encrypted by default with some hardware-based password. But how secure is this encryption?
I am not talking about password compromise, but if somebody gets my phone,...
user224874
68
votes
8
answers
17k
views
Can a stolen Android phone with USB debugging enabled have screen lock bypassed?
My Android (8.0) phone was pickpocketed from me yesterday. It was immediately turned off by the thief and when I tried to locate it using Find My Device it shows as offline.
As a programmer and a ...
- 713
2
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Can an app access location services when I turn off location services?
An app I'm using requires me to grant it the permission to track my location, which I grant.
But, if I manually toggle off the device's location service (for example in the settings or the drop down ...
- 385
6
votes
2
answers
14k
views
How secure is full-disk encryption technology on LineageOS, or Android phones in general?
We're attempting to assess the information security on our mobile devices, and information seems rather varied on the question of encryption. Is the encryption technology employed by Android-based ...
- 63
0
votes
1
answer
334
views
On a mobile, does using a password instead of a PIN make encryption stronger?
On a mobile, does using a password instead of a PIN make encryption stronger?
What key does the phone use for its encryption? Would it use the PIN itself?
5
votes
1
answer
472
views
How can I securily use a pre-owned smartphone?
Is there a feasible way to safely use a pre-owned smartphone? For a PC/Laptop I would simply shred the contents of the hard disk drive before creating new partitions. If feeling paranoid, I might ...
- 1,910
2
votes
1
answer
499
views
Hide an app on Android
Is there any way to completely block anyone or anything from detecting an app that is installed on any Android device? Not from physically looking through someone's device but from google or any ...
- 21
1
vote
1
answer
194
views
Protecting Android debug bridge that is connected to the internet
I have an android device which acts as a brain for my home security that has access to cameras, heat sensors, motion sensors and some appliances.
I have enabled android debug bridge on my android ...
- 17
2
votes
0
answers
241
views
Why don't smartphone manufactures write the IMEI onto one time writable ROM so that it can't be tampered with? [closed]
The title says it all basically. Even now, why is tampering IMEI possible at all? Shouldn't manufactures be using one time writable memory to embed IMEI into phones? Why don't they?
- 21
0
votes
2
answers
331
views
Do smartphones have built-in surveillance in certain countries?
I recently was in a third world country which is know as a police state with heavy cyber surveillance. I noticed that brand new smartphones came in a box that had a nice holographic seal showing the ...
- 131
2
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Why fingerprint scanner doesn't work after reboot on Mi phones?
When I first experienced this I ignored it. But after some days I noticed that I had to unlock it by pattern lock or password everytime I restart the phone and after unlocking by pattern/password, I ...
- 187
-2
votes
1
answer
517
views
My android smartphone showing strange behaviour
Recently I am experiencing very strange behavior on my android smartphone such as:
apps minimising/maximising unexpectedly
suddenly it taps on other parts of the screen that I am not touching
while ...
- 199
17
votes
3
answers
11k
views
Does disabling WiFi and mobile data make my phone impossible to hack online?
As I understand, a relatively outdated phone (Android 5, not updated for a few years) could be easily compromised by using security exploits through WiFi, mobile data, NFC or Bluetooth.
I'm about to ...
- 4,824
2
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Assessing security tradeoffs with LineageOS on older Android phones
In setting up an Sony Xperia ZR smartphone manufactured in 2013 and running Android 4.4.1, I am working on understanding the trade-offs involved in loading the custom ROM LineageOS 14.1, which is ...
- 21
1
vote
0
answers
695
views
Is there a phone/dial app could encrypt voice calls without using data network? [closed]
I know there are many VoIP apps could provide end-to-end encrypted voice communications, such as Signal, Telegram..etc. But I could not find one app could do the same by using regular non-data/non-...
- 111
3
votes
1
answer
571
views
Brute forcing an OnePlus 5
I've never done a brute force before and I wanted to try it out on my phone.
Considering there are 0-9 digits and 4 spaces, that gives me 10^4 combinations.
I wanted to know how I can connect my Mac ...
- 133
3
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Are iPhones intrinsically more secure than updated Android phones? [closed]
If I replace my current smartphone with a Google Pixel, which would get updates pretty quickly, would I be just as safe from hackers as I would be using an iPhone? This is assuming I don't install ...
- 39
0
votes
1
answer
298
views
Which smartfone OS/vendor is the safes when it comes to exploits? [closed]
If I understand correctly, when an exploit for Android is found I have to manually patch my system because even though Google fixes the bug, vendors like Samsung, Huawei don't recompile their systems ...
- 461
1
vote
2
answers
241
views
A daemon to tell when do apps access the cell phone camera?
Unavoidable issue of modern cell phones is that they have a front and rear side camera covering almost a 360deg view. And that some applications like, say Facebook request access for everything. So ...
- 2,154
5
votes
2
answers
579
views
Is it safe to install phone driver?
When I connect most Android phones to a Windows 7 computer via USB, Windows will install the appropriate drivers for the device.
My (possibly incorrect) understanding is that those drivers come with ...
- 3,174
1
vote
1
answer
7k
views
Should the MEID, PESN, IMEI1 and IMEI2 numbers be kept secret?
On my Huawei PLK-AL10, when I type *#06# in the dialer, a window named MEID_IMEI would pop up and display some random strings. Note that someone can get this information through the "Emergency call" ...
- 779
3
votes
2
answers
451
views
What's the point of buying a Blackberry that runs the Android OS?
Recently, Blackberry began selling smartphones that run the Android OS. If the Android OS has so many security issues out-of-the box, then why bother paying extra for it?
Blackberry claims that the ...
- 41
5
votes
4
answers
2k
views
I'm running Android 4.1.2; it includes known vulnerabilities. Installing a newer firmware image would take time and effort. Must I really do so?
Background
My Android phone is rather old. It's running stock Android 4.1.2, which includes known security vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, this is the latest firmware which T-Mobile offers for this ...
9
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Does the use of a smartphone's Secure Element really offer security benefits to a banking app?
My bank's Android application allows users to perform financial transactions without the use of the physical token generator (which requires an ATM card to be inserted and a valid PIN to be provided) ...
- 587
2
votes
1
answer
273
views
What is a root method and how is it achieved?
I'm wondering what exactly happens when you are finding a root method on Android. Is it just poking and prodding?
I know it's high privileges, but how can that not be enabled through a regular ...
- 21
4
votes
2
answers
3k
views
My cellphone is infected, and it keeps coming back
My Android smartphone downloads apps automatically without any interaction. Generally, the apps are known but some are unknown apps. I can only assume this is a virus/malware.
So I decided to format ...
- 51
1
vote
2
answers
5k
views
Money stolen via Android malware Port 4000 remote anything exploit
As background, my business bank account was compromised. The compromise also involved call forwarding of a smartphone. So they got bank credentials and cell phone credentials.
I initially suspected ...
- 11
6
votes
1
answer
562
views
Is it unsafe to restore backed up data from Google servers?
I have an Android smartphone that I don't trust. It has an old version of Android and has been vulnerable to Stagefright and a host of a hundred other vulnerabilities for months. Although there is no ...
- 465
4
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Way to keep Google from knowing the SIM card I am using on Android
We see that the the details of the Telecom operator along with other details are available to Google for the SIM card that we are using on an Android Phone.
Is there any way that can be applied or ...
- 397