Android Security

Android Security

Securing an open platform requires robust security architecture and rigorous security programs. Android was designed with multi-layered security that provides the flexibility required for an open platform, while providing protection for all users of the platform. Android was designed with developers in mind. Security controls were designed to reduce the burden on developers. Security-savvy developers can easily work with and rely on flexible security controls. Developers less familiar with security will be protected by safe defaults. This design includes the expectation that attackers would attempt to perform common attacks, such as social engineering attacks to convince device users to install malware, and attacks on third-party applications on Android. Android was designed to both reduce the probability of these attacks and greatly limit the impact of the attack in the event it was successful. Here I am showing an outlines of the Android security program, describes the fundamentals of the Android security architecture, and answers the most pertinent questions for system architects and security analysts.

Figure summarizes the security components and considerations of the various levels of the Android software stack. Each component assumes that the components below are properly secured. With the exception of a small amount of Android OS code running as root, all code above the Linux Kernel is restricted by the Application Sandbox.

The main Android platform building blocks are:

·         Device Hardware: Android runs on a wide range of hardware configurations including smart phones, tablets, and set-top-boxes. Android is processor-agnostic, but it does take advantage of some hardware-specific security capabilities such as ARM v6 eXecute-Never.

·         Android Operating System: The core operating system is built on top of the Linux kernel. All device resources, like camera functions, GPS data, Bluetooth functions, telephony functions, network connections, etc. are accessed through the operating system.
 

 

·         Android Application Runtime: Android applications are most often written in the Java programming language and run in the Dalvik virtual machine. However, many applications, including core Android services and applications are native applications or include native libraries. Both Dalvik and native applications run within the same security environment, contained within the Application Sandbox. Applications get a dedicated part of the filesystem in which they can write private data, including databases and raw files.

References:

https://source.android.com/devices/tech/security/index.html

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