Android Backdoor GhostCtrl Can Silently Record Your Audio, Video, and More

Re:Android Backdoor GhostCtrl Can Silently Record Your Audio... by kbart on Tuesday July 18, 2017 @03:13AM (#14794801)

It was (still is?) a common practice to grant all permissions when installing an app from Google Play. Most people don't even look at the "annoying" popup that lists permissions to be granted and just press "accept" without ever reading it.

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Re:Android Backdoor GhostCtrl Can Silently Record Your Audio... by sspiff on Tuesday July 18, 2017 @03:19AM (#14794824)

On recent Android versions, permissions are prompted one by one, whenever an API that needs that permission is first called.

Each individual permission is prompted for and can individually be denies.

I personally consider this an improvement, though I realize many (probably most) users will just click through anyway.

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Re:Android Backdoor GhostCtrl Can Silently Record Your Audio... by JoshTriplett on Tuesday July 18, 2017 @03:29AM (#14794862)

Only for updated apps. Apps written for an older Android API still demand every permission they want at install time.

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Re:Android Backdoor GhostCtrl Can Silently Record Your Audio... by pjmlp on Tuesday July 18, 2017 @03:33AM (#14794888)

On consumer shops Android 4.4 and 5.1 devices are still the ones being sold on the 100€ price range.

The permissions system was introduced on 6.0.

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Re:Android Backdoor GhostCtrl Can Silently Record Your Audio... by JadeNB on Wednesday July 19, 2017 @02:19PM (#14806556)

I just got a Samsung G550T, which is just north of your stated price range (currently $120 on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-T-Mobile-Unlocked-Galaxy-Smar...) but does have Marshmallow.

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Re:Android Backdoor GhostCtrl Can Silently Record Your Audio... by JadeNB on Thursday July 20, 2017 @08:43AM (#14811951)

There's also the Nextbit Robin (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D9LVCAI) for just a hair more (currently $129 on Amazon). The product description says it's got Marshmallow, but, according to https://www.amazon.com/forum/-/Tx16RURIU0E0P5O , it's actually been upgraded to Nougat.

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Re:Android Backdoor GhostCtrl Can Silently Record Your Audio... by aidos on Tuesday July 18, 2017 @03:48AM (#14794940)

I mostly have apple devices but have a Nexus 7 at home. I'm not sure which version it's running.

Every time I install something I have a sinking feeling as it asks me to allow it to do things that sound wildly beyond anything I would ever want an app to do. Things like an app for my kids that asks for something along the lines of "access to the files". Hopefully things have improved with the newer OS but man I feel uncomfortable installing apps on Android in a way I've never felt with Apple.

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Re:Android Backdoor GhostCtrl Can Silently Record Your Audio... by la_oveja on Tuesday July 18, 2017 @06:48AM (#14795555)

I see this very interesting:

Android prompts info about whats happening, iOS just ignores them and keeps going.

With this simple difference, people tend to think iOS works better! I cannot trust an OS that doesn't ask me stuff, or takes things for granted.

Best example is the "Force close" dialog on Android vs just crashing the app on iOS.

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Re:Android Backdoor GhostCtrl Can Silently Record Your Audio... by monkaS___ on Tuesday July 18, 2017 @07:00AM (#14795602)

The requirement to prompt for individual permissions in iOS significantly predates android's implementation of the same. Besides, am I mistaken or is the 'Force close' dialog ('xyz keeps crashing') only offered _after_ android first quietly attempts to restart the activity as if nothing went wrong?

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Re:Android Backdoor GhostCtrl Can Silently Record Your Audio... by ClassyJacket on Tuesday July 18, 2017 @03:47AM (#14794933)

Well it's not like there's any option to deny them. You can only not install the app, unless the app chooses to build for the Android 6 permission system.

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Re:Android Backdoor GhostCtrl Can Silently Record Your Audio... by izacus on Tuesday July 18, 2017 @05:01AM (#14795194)

> Well it's not like there's any option to deny them. You can only not install the app, unless the app chooses to build for the Android 6 permission system.

On Android 6 or newer you can always deny permissions, even if the app targets older Androids. (Settings -> Apps -> <app> -> Permissions).

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Re:Android Backdoor GhostCtrl Can Silently Record Your Audio... by kbart on Tuesday July 18, 2017 @03:54AM (#14794958)

"You can only not install the app"

That's what I actually do. I refuse to install apps that require broad permissions not related to their primary purpose. Though I do realize that I belong to that insignificant minority group of users.

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Re:Android Backdoor GhostCtrl Can Silently Record Your Audio... by ClassyJacket on Friday July 28, 2017 @07:38AM (#14873482)

Unfortunately, that would make my phone basically pointless. I wouldn't install damn near anything.

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Re:Android Backdoor GhostCtrl Can Silently Record Your Audio... by StavrosK on Tuesday July 18, 2017 @04:32AM (#14795107)

Of course you can deny them. After you install the app, just go into settings and deny every permission.

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Re:Android Backdoor GhostCtrl Can Silently Record Your Audio... by kbart on Tuesday July 18, 2017 @07:22AM (#14795681)

Does not always work because shady apps often check for permissions on boot and refuse to start if i.e. some fart app can't access that contact list of yours "it desperately needs to function properly". Denying permissions only mitigates cases when all permissions are asked due to the lack of proficiency or laziness of app developers not an intended malicious behavior.

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Re:Android Backdoor GhostCtrl Can Silently Record Your Audio... by StavrosK on Tuesday July 18, 2017 @11:33AM (#14797329)

I deny contact permissions to apps that don't need to access my contacts. If they can't start without them, they're broken and get uninstalled.

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Re:Android Backdoor GhostCtrl Can Silently Record Your Audio... by srtjstjsj on Tuesday July 18, 2017 @03:38AM (#14794906)

Android UI tries very hard to hide the list of permissions being granted.

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