By: Collin Molnar

Overview  Intro to Android  Security basics  Android architecture  Application isolation  Application permissions  Physical access control  Encryption

Intro To Android Source: smartphone-share/

Intro To Android  Open Source  Based of a modified Linux kernel Ice Cream Sandwich is based off of 3.x  Apps are developed in Java Does not use Java Virtual Machine  Libraries and kernel developed in C/C++

Basics of Security  Permissions and application isolation Prevent app from changing system  Storing data Encryption Keeping data safe  Access Control Keep unwanted users from accessing phone

Architecture

Application Isolation  Each app runs on it’s own Apps don’t share resources or memory  Each app runs in a separate process Based of Linux security  Dalvik Virtual Machine does not control security  Foundation of Security for Android

Android Permissions  Default permissions Cannot effect other apps or system Cannot access contacts, SMS,  Each app is contained in a sandbox Apps use intents to talk to other apps Otherwise, apps must request permissions ○ Permissions are only once when app is installed

Problems With Android Permissions  Most users do not understand permissions Just an extra click to users  Apps can pass data

Access Control  Face unlock Could be used by someone who looks similar to you.  Pattern and PIN More secure than face unlock PIN is only numbers  Password Alphanumeric and special characters

Encryption  Added in Android  Uses dm-crypt from the Linux kernel  Requires lock screen PIN or password  Each time phone is powered on the password must be entered  SD card may also be encrypted

Conclusion  Security is based of Linux kernel Each application runs in a sandbox Permissions are used to control apps  Newer devices can be encrypted  Built in physical access control