I checked out various apps which can locate lost phone(after stolen).
All work on the premise of installing app remotely from google play, and then sending SMS to your phone etc.,
However, there are a few caveats(with all such apps, and others too). they work for brain dead thieves.
Professional thiefs will throw away your sim card, and then put in a new sim(prepaid sims freely available).
For security, the owner of phone will obviously change the gmail password, right?
So if thief factory resets and wipes data, and then logs on with a different google play account, can you still track it?
Is there any app which allows to do the same?
Casual thieves can be caught, but what if somebody does a full wipe?
I think google tracks phones using device ID. Is it possible to track phone through google, even if android account(google account) being used on the phone is different?
Need help please.
Prevention is better than the cure.
If the phone has been stolen without any tracking software installed, then the chances of recovering it are a lot smaller than if tracking software was installed before it was stolen.
The best thing you can do is call your carrier and ask them to block the IMEI, if they care about you they may also track it down... Or at least do some kind of deal to get you a new phone.
The best tracking app in my opinion is Avast! Its free too !
There is an anti theft feature, which requires root, But it will install as a system app so a factory reset wont remove it. You can do a whole range of things via the webpage, such as activating mobile data, Turning GPS on so you can track it, You can also make the phone scream and shout 'warning this device has been lost or stolen'
This is a useful feature as only you can disable it, You can also enter a message which will be displayed on screen for the theif to see!
You can remotely lock and wipe the device, so the theif cannot change gmail account.
Its does a whole lot more too!
azzledazzle said:
Prevention is better than the cure.
If the phone has been stolen without any tracking software installed, then the chances of recovering it are a lot smaller than if tracking software was installed before it was stolen.
The best thing you can do is call your carrier and ask them to block the IMEI, if they care about you they may also track it down... Or at least do some kind of deal to get you a new phone.
The best tracking app in my opinion is Avast! Its free too !
There is an anti theft feature, which requires root, But it will install as a system app so a factory reset wont remove it. You can do a whole range of things via the webpage, such as activating mobile data, Turning GPS on so you can track it, You can also make the phone scream and shout 'warning this device has been lost or stolen'
This is a useful feature as only you can disable it, You can also enter a message which will be displayed on screen for the theif to see!
You can remotely lock and wipe the device, so the theif cannot change gmail account.
Its does a whole lot more too!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks
Will it work in the following scenario
1. thief Steals phone
2. Puts phone in custom recovery
3. Flashes a new ROM
4. Puts in a new SIM
5. Uses a different google account.
Google has IMEI number of devices used. So can google let me know which user has the phone after its been stolen, if I give them a copy of the police report or something.
Actually Samsung have a free tracking and after-theft service.
You can set it up on the phone and on the samsung website.
It works even if they use the phone on the moon after having it
flushed through a toilet....So why bother in using third party apps and services ??
http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39...-and-control-samsung-galaxy-devices-remotely/
This is an old 'howto'. The samsung dive also works for the Note.
tsk1979 said:
thanks
Will it work in the following scenario
1. thief Steals phone
2. Puts phone in custom recovery
3. Flashes a new ROM
4. Puts in a new SIM
5. Uses a different google account.
Google has IMEI number of devices used. So can google let me know which user has the phone after its been stolen, if I give them a copy of the police report or something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google are a massive company, I doubt they will help 1 individual person, but its sure worth a try
as for the scenario, If the theif flashes a new ROM, it will overwrite /system so any previous system apps will be removed.
But, bear in mind, not everyone is an android freak like us most people wont know what recovery is, or how to flash a ROM, so this should give you enough time to track it down via the website.
For the freaks that do know what they're doing, Well I guess thats unfortunate, No security can withstand the knowledge we have, You will just have to hope they have a nice heart and will return it.
How about 'android lost' application?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
dsmas said:
How about 'android lost' application?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have changed my google password. So thief will probably use new market account. Now the question is, if phone comes online via a different market account, can I still control it?
lost my phone (galaxy S2) yesterday or it got stolen - i dont know excactly.
BUT the phone is still on, even 3G.
so is there any app which i could install through the market and track it?
plan b won't work because i have android 4.x
Lun4cy said:
lost my phone (galaxy S2) yesterday or it got stolen - i dont know excactly.
BUT the phone is still on, even 3G.
so is there any app which i could install through the market and track it?
plan b won't work because i have android 4.x
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have stock tw rom on your s2 if yes then Log onto www.samsungdive.com from their you can control your device by loging into your samsung account.. Good luck :thumbup:
Ps: if you have a cm rom then use this app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.androidlost worked on my htc desire pretty good when i lost it in my college
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
abhinav quietly brilliant said:
Do you have stock tw rom on your s2 if yes then Log onto www.samsungdive.com from their you can control your device by loging into your samsung account.. Good luck :thumbup:
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unfortunately not :/
got a costum rom and i think i removed all samsung apps.
Who needs phone location track and how to track phone location with this OX MobileSpy
tsk1979 said:
I checked out various apps which can locate lost phone(after stolen).
All work on the premise of installing app remotely from google play, and then sending SMS to your phone etc.,
However, there are a few caveats(with all such apps, and others too). they work for brain dead thieves.
Professional thiefs will throw away your sim card, and then put in a new sim(prepaid sims freely available).
For security, the owner of phone will obviously change the gmail password, right?
So if thief factory resets and wipes data, and then logs on with a different google play account, can you still track it?
Is there any app which allows to do the same?
Casual thieves can be caught, but what if somebody does a full wipe?
I think google tracks phones using device ID. Is it possible to track phone through google, even if android account(google account) being used on the phone is different?
Need help please.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Company who distribute cell phones always want to learn whether their employees are in rational use of vehicle and they go to the place where they should go, Cell Phone GPS Tracker gives you detailed information you want to learn with GPS location.
Location-specific information can be tracked especially for person who get lost when travelling unfamiliar places, or elder parents who are in amnesia may forget where home is, children get lost and so on. Then this OX Mobile Spy mobile phone location track function urgently needed.
OX mobile spy is both a mobile phone information backup software and a spy-tracking software, Which all depends on how to use it and how to review of it. By the using of it's backup function, you can easily backup contacts, messages, calls to your own email. By the using of it's spy-tracking software, you can use ox mobile spy's GPS location trace to find lost persons, use software installed in cellphone, messages, contacts and calls information to monitor your kid's suspicious behaviour.
Download: http://download.cnet.com/OX-Mobile-Spy/3000-2162_4-75909600.html
Exact GPS location with latitude and longitude, I like this program.
Hi guys, my first post here.
The permission some apps "demand" on installation, is a lack of user control over app access to their personal data from photographs, list of contacts, call duration, call events, even the possibility of the application take pictures or movies without user's approval.
Because they require, from what I understand, there is no possibility to refuse permission to a app access personal data.
Some app more intrusive than others, but overall, the security problems associated with allowing access to certain personal data is not guaranteed at all, quite the contrary.
Take the example of permissions "required" by FB even with permissions to film or photograph at any time without requiring approval by the user!?!
This is not a security breach, this software deliberately designed with intrusive access to personal data, which should be prohibited by law, or at least, request everytime for user approval.
The truth is that if we are very strict in selection of these apps in regard to permission acess, I think there is a dozen of app's with interest out there.
So what ca we do about it?
Do new ROM coming out with any OpenDroid code in it?
There's any efort from developers to find ways to bring security decision, regardings personnal data permission, to the user?
babuja said:
Hi guys, my first post here.
The permission some app's "demand" on installation, is a lack of user control over app access to their personal data from photographs, list of contacts, call duration, call events, even the possibility of the application take pictures or movies without user's approval.
*
Because they require, it is given me to know, there is no possibility to refuse permission for a date app, access to certain personal data.
*
One app more intrusive than others, but overall the android platform, the security problems associated with allowing access to certain personal data is not guaranteed at all, quite the contrary.
*
Take the example of permissions "required" by FB even with permissions to film or photograph at any time without requiring approval by the user?!
*
This is not a security breach, this software is deliberately designed with intrusive access to personal data, which should be prohibited by law.
*
The truth is that if we are very strict in selection of these app's in regards to permissions, I think there is a handful of app's with interest out there.
So what ca we do about it?
Do new ROM coming out with any OpenDroid code in it?
There's any efort from developers to find ways to bring security decision, regardings personnal data permission, to the user?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really cannot do anything except trust to app developers
One of another example is keyboards app that can access to all ur private data
Sent via my Sony Xperia Z | C6602
There is a level of trust between you and the publisher to not break any trusts that may warrant legal action and to use any data obtained only for the purpose for which it was granted.
For instance I work at a major insurance company, I get customers credit card numbers, SSN's, Full names, DOB and everything else under the sun on a regular occasion to do my job. As the guy on the other end of the phone what would stop me from jotting this down on a notepad or into my phone? But you as the customer have a level of trust that I am doing my part to use this information only for which it was granted...
The same principle applies with app developers. If you are weary about an app or developer then just don't use it. Otherwise you have to just trust them a little.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD
altimax98 said:
Really cannot do anything except trust to app developers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why is that the only option? There's availabe code out there regarding data protection...why not to use it??
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2098156
altimax98 said:
....I get customers credit card numbers, SSN's, Full names, DOB and everything else under the sun on a regular occasion to do my job. As the guy on the other end of the phone what would stop me from jotting this down on a notepad or into my phone? But you as the customer have a level of trust that I am doing my part to use this information only for which it was granted...
The same principle applies with app developers. If you are weary about an app or developer then just don't use it. Otherwise you have to just trust them a little.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not exactly the same, as I believe you don't take pictures and make movies of your clients without proper auttorizathion, correct?
What bothers me is why don't do developers introduce some lines of code to garante user protection, or at least the option to accept or not some personal data acess. I believe not that dificult as already exist code availabe only need to be compiled into new ROM's.
Instead of requesting user to believe in developers best intention, why not to transfer that as a option to user? That's what intrigues me about developers best intention regarding personal data acess.
babuja said:
Why is that the only option? There's availabe code out there regarding data protection...why not to use it??
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2098156
Not exactly the same, as I believe you don't take pictures and make movies of your clients without proper auttorizathion, correct?
no but what's stopping me? And how do you know I don't? You've given me all your information and I can do whatever I want without your permission or authorization...
What bothers me is why don't do developers introduce some lines of code to garante user protection, or at least the option to accept or not some personal data acess. I believe not that dificult as already exist code availabe only need to be compiled into new ROM's.
Instead of requesting user to believe in developers best intention, why not to transfer that as a option to user? That's what intrigues me about developers best intention regarding personal data acess.
they do transfer the permission to you as an option... that's why it pops up before you install the app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For instance the generic camera permission states: "may use the camera at any time without permission". Having camera access means this may occur, why? Well maybe you have a shortcut set to open the app from a button. That button is indirectly launching the app with your permission. How is the app supposed to decipher between direct and indirect permission, you didn't personally launch the activity it was launched from another source.
The moment you allow users to decide what permissions are granted to an app is the moment user ratings plummet and issues and errors abound. Most apps are dependent on these permissions when they first start. There was a framework modification that allowed this on custom roms but couldn't be widely accepted because of widespread issues... I believe there were some CM test roms back in the CM7 days that ran this and had more complaints of apps not working then anything.
The fact of the matter is the Descriptions have to advise of the worst case scenario and users an never be allowed to decide what and what not to grant unless they have a fundamental knowledge of how the access is used and how the app works... for every single app.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD
altimax98 said:
Otherwise you have to just trust them a little.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would prefer to have some control over my personal data...or at least have an a option of My choice to choose to accept or not, to share, for example, my 1 month yearsold son photo.
altimax98 said:
no but what's stopping me? And how do you know I don't? You've given me all your information and I can do whatever I want without your permission or authorization...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course you can say that programmer can always bypass My choice (for example not to share some personal photo)...ok, but that ilegal action.
Quite diferent than accepting all crapy permissions of almost all apps at install...or don't use them. And there's any app out there with acceptable personal data permission request?
altimax98 said:
I believe there were some CM test roms back in the CM7 days that ran this and had more complaints of apps not working then anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are some guys doing some CM10 OpenPDroid testing...just start readit (are almost 38 pages).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2098156
babuja said:
There are some guys doing some CM10 OpenPDroid testing...just start readit (are almost 38 pages).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2098156
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have anyone tried this CM10? Are they stable?
Tnks
I've been using the Permission Denied app with some success. Found it on the play store.
After weeks of hard work we (Setmov and uncle Fab) proudly present you the first Una ROM for the galaxy Grand I9082, based on 4.1.2 XXAMF7.
DISCLAIMERAs usual, your phone your responsability, we won't take any responsability if it flies out of the window or if your girlfriend/boyfriend runs away with it.
PLEASE, DO READ OP COMPLETELY AND CAREFULLY BEFORE ASKING ANY QUESTIONS, ANSWERS TO MOST PROBLEMS ARE THERE
WHAT IS UNA?Una is a new concept that takes security to a new level.
Are you tired of seeing so much blatant, outrageous and shameless invasion of your privacy and data mining hidden behind nice sentences like "enhanced use experience" or "complete integration with the system"? We decided to develop secure ROMs where privacy means just that – Private!.
It’s free of charge, we are a non profit structure and we are not here to make big bucks.
WHAT UNA ISN'TUNA isn't a way to help you to stealthily buy massive destruction weapons to foment a coup d'etat in your favorite banana republic or to prepare the third world war:silly:.
UNA secures what leaves from your phone (ie your personnal data doesn't leak and no app can look over your shoulder to spy your activities), but it can't competely secure what comes into your phone.
Why is that?
Because it's just not possible to fully secure a phone from what comes into it, and anyone claiming to be able to do it is either a liar, or an ignorant, or both.
There are too many attacks, some not well documented, if documented at all, and some unknown to the public, and there are too many ways to hack a phone, especially if the user doesn't use his/her common sense.
If you are the type of person that installs apps from shaddy source and/or warez web sites (sites offering cracked paid apps) chances are that at some point you will unknowingly install a malware or a spyware. The same applies if you click on any link, specially on SMS' and emails, if you let any pop out window appear or if you don't protect your lockscreen with a password/pin/pattern and let anyone get physical access to your phone.
A bit of judgment and common sense can save you a lot of trouble, but there's unfortunately nothing UNA can do about it.
Then, if you use your phone to call through GSM your provider will know where you are. If he didn't you wouldn't be able to make any call, the signal has to find you and there's nothing UNA or anyone can do about it.
The only way to prevent that is to disable the phone functions (but then your phone will turn into a wifi only device) and reenable them when needed, head to the scripts section to learn how to do it.
Last but not least, bear in mind that the agencies have armies of tech savvy henchmen and 10 storeys computers, and tricks we can't even imagine, so think twice and use your brain before you attempt to outsmart them...
UNA IS FOR YOU IF:. You are willing to learn how to use an unconventional ROM and generally speaking to understand how things work, even if it sometimes requires a little effort to fix this or that little problem (bear in mind that it took us a lot of work to develop Una to where it is now),
. You don't mind a few little occasional bugs here and there that come from all the restrictions the ROM contains,
. You want to take back ownership of your phone from google’s claws.
UNA IS NOT FOR YOU IF:. All that you care about is the latest gimmick in the latest OS,
. You can't live without the google’s apps,
. You are the kind of person that never reads through the OP and only scroll down to the download section, and then complain that things don't work and/or ask stupid questions in which are answered OP. An example? One guy makes a mod and writes clearly in OP that it's specifically for 4.2.2. Then some people complain: "it doesn't work on 4.4.2"...
If you are that type of person, please do yourself and us both a favour, and close this window now.
ARE WE PARANOID TIN FOIL HATS? OR TERRORISTS? OR CARTEL BOSSES?Nope, we only are people that don't see why we shouldn't be in control of our phones. Or why our phones can be wiped remotely, why apps or updates or who knows what can be downloaded and installed without asking for our consent, why SMS' can be sent without us to know, why we should pay for the bandwidth used for data mining and unwanted downloads, and why all those activities should deplete our battery and kill our RAM.
You think we are overreacting here?
You don't have to take our word for it, just download and install Network Log from here:
https://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdfilter=network+log&fdid=com.googlecode.networklog
Give it root permission, start logging and open some web pages. Come back to Network Log after a few minutes and see for yourself, you'll be surprised (or maybe horrified?) to find out that your android system, your settings, your kernel etc. connect to all sorts of funny IPs, including and foremost google’s.
Now you see what we mean?
It's time to go for Una
UNA'S FEATURES. Rooted.
. Deodexed.
. Zipaligned.
. Busybox and sqlite installed.
. Init.d support and scripts.
. Auto start disabled for most apps.
. About 120 system apps, 40 framework jars, 30 permissions xmls and 25 libs removed, plus files here and there.
. Very low RAM and CPU consumption, more than 8 hours screen time with the WIFI on, 1% battery decrease every 10-12 hours while in stand by.
. Heavily and extensively modified system, in order to make it secure and prevent it from leaking your data.
. App Settings, Firewall and Xprivacy built-in, and already applied out of the box to make sure you are well protected.
. Xprivacy is a fantastic tool but it has one big limitation, it can't restrict the Android System from accessing your serial numbers and leaking it. For that reason these IDs have been edited as follows:
build.serial (androidboot.serialno) and ro.serialno are both set to "1",
android id is set to "android",
net.hostname is set to "1".
. Wlan serial number set to "00000001" (this number identifies you everytime you connect to the internet, and Xprivacy can't do anything about it).
. USB ID (iSerial) set to 1.
. Unreadable cp access.
. Vulnerabilities patched thanks to Master Key Multi Fix and Fake ID Fix.
. ADB disabled (can be re-enabled, see below).
. By default ADB, all google access (including youtube, blogspot and google search) and the Media Storage are disabled. You can re-enable some or all of them, instructions are in the "HOW TO USE THE ROM" section.
. Plenty of under the hood modifications to make the ROM fast and fluid.
. Multi-purpose navigation keys.
. Call button in contacts.
. Because secure doesn't mean ugly, the whole ROM has been themed with a beautiful green color (if there are enough requests other themes will follow), transparency, and Lollipop HD wallpapers.
. KK style pop-up toasts.
. Multiwindows have been revamped, they are no longer only static in Samsung style but now they can float and be resized too, like on a computer.
. All apps can be opened in floating mode.
. Possibility to choose between different multiwindows layouts in KK's style.
. Heaps of hand picked and carefully scrutinized open source apps.
There are 2 non open source apps (Greenify and Quick Pic) but they are safe, believe me, I have thoroughly examined them. Still, you can always uninstall them if you feel like it.
In time we will develop our own apps, but first we want to see how people respond to the Una concept...
Installed apps/tools. 920 Editor, to create and edit scripts or text files.
. AF+ Firewall.
. Alarm clock.
. APG, to encrypt messages.
. App Settings, to restrict apps' permissions, change DPI on a per app basis and more.
. Arity, a calculator.
. Conversations, a secure and encrypted chat, modded by uncle Fab for increased security.
. Fdroid, an alternative to the Play Store, and all the apps are open source!
. Floating stickies, to make small notes on the fly.
. FTP Server, to copy files to/from your phone wirelessly.
. Ghost Commander, a very powerful dual panel root file manager.
. Gravity Box, a theming engine.
. Greenify, to make apps behave by hibernating them when not in use.
. K9 Mail, an email client.
. Kernel Adiutor, if you feel like playing with kernel tweaks (but you have to know what you are doing).
. Lightning, a fast and light weight browser.
. Multiwindows Manager.
. Network Log, to check where your apps connect and chase unwanted connections.
. Open Camera.
. Tor (Orbot) for Android, modded by uncle Fab for increased security.
. Orweb, a browser designed to work along with Tor.
. OS Monitor, to monitor and kill your phone's processes, and more.
. Pale Moon, based on Firefox for Android, for a full desktop experience with Mozilla add-ons preinstalled for enhanced security.
. PDF Reader.
. Preferences Manager, to edit the otherwise difficult to read shared_prefs files in data/data.
. Quick Dic, a good selection of free dictionaries.
. Quick Pic, a Gallery app.
. Rmaps, a maps app where you can download maps from various sources for offline use.
. Search Light, a torch.
. Terminal Emulator, fire up your commands and show your phone who is the boss!
. Text Secure, a secure and encrypted SMS app, modded by uncle Fab for increased security.
. Tint Browser, another fast web browser.
. Urecord, to record sounds with different sample rates.
. USB Mass Storage Enabler, to connect your phone to any computer (note that it only mounts the external SD).
. Viper4Android FX, a powerful sound enhancer.
. Viper4Android XHiFi, some more sound enhancements.
. VLC, a video and music player favourite.
. WI-Fi Privacy Police, to secure your connections even better than they already are.
. Xposed Installer, a great framework that enables apps like App Settings or Xprivacy to work.
. Xprivacy, last but not least, the best privacy app.
WHY IS THIS ROM 4.1.2 BASED AND NOT 4.2.2?
Because Samsung did a complete failure with its 4.2.2 version for Galaxy Grand.
High RAM consumption, no floating windows, bugs.
Plus, the newer the android version the more spying there is, despite google's sweet talk about "enhanced user's experience", the infamous Fused Location being a good example.
INSTALLATIONAs usual, make a backup first!
Do backup your contacts and whatever is important because all your apps and data will be erased (your sd card contents won't be deleted though).
Do backup your /system/csc folder, in case you need it for later.
Do backup your efs folder (VERY IMPORTANT).
Open an android terminal from your phone, first type "su" (without the quotes), enter, then type:
busybox dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p17 of=/sdcard/efs.img
This will create an efs backup caled efs.img in your sd card.
If you need to restore it type:
busybox dd if=/sdcard/efs.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p17
Before you install the ROM, download Philz recovery from here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2452985
We chose Philz since AFAIK it's the only one that allows you to lock you recovery with a password (highly recommended, if your recovery is not password protected it wouldn't take more than 2 minutes for someone to disable your pattern or pin protected lockscreen and access all your personal data on the phone).
Philz' installation instructions
You need to have Samsung drivers installed.
Boot your phone into download mode (press volume down and power at the same time).
Open Odin 3.07 and connect your phone.
Click on the PDA slot, navigate to where the Philz recovery is located and select it.
DOUBLE CHECK AND MAKE SURE THAT "RE-PARTITION" IS UNTICKED (only "Auto Reboot" and "F.Reset Time" should be selected).
Click start and wait while Odin flashes Philz.
If everything went well your phone will now auto-reboot into the system. Go into recovery, you should see your brand new Philz.
If you are still on stock recovery then repeat the above steps, but this time untick “Auto Reboot” in Odin.
When in recovery, if before you reboot you see a text on the screen displaying “yes – disable flash recovery”, select it to avoid stock recovery overwriting Philz.
Now, download Una from here (scroll down until you get to the download section):
http://unaos.com/
Unzip the ROM and copy it to the backup folder that is inside the clockworkmod folder in your sd card (if there's no backup folder create it by choosing "mkdir" in Ghost Commander).
Boot into recovery.
Go to restore from sdcard, choose 2015-03-23.10.56.05, and go for it!
Once it's done reboot, congratulations, you have installed Una ROM on your phone!
The screenlock password is 23052015
IMPORTANT!!!I haven't tried the latest 4.2.2 ROMs and I don't know if they have Knox or not (the earlier versions hadn't).
If they have it and if you are on such a ROM you'll have to choose custom restore and uncheck boot in the menu, because since the bootloader you have is Knoxed you may get a brick if you downgrade it to a pre-Knox version, don't play with that!
If you choose to proceed, you do so at your own risk, but in any case look first on the internet to find out if it's doable.
If it doesn't work for you then I'm sorry, you are out of luck, shame on you Knox...
If it works please report it here so that other people will know, thanks in advance!
HOW TO USE THE ROM. Swipe down to access the applications drawer.
. Swipe up to open the notifications.
. Go to settings and set a stong password/pin/pattern protected lockscreen (recommended), default password is 23032015.
. Go in recovery and set a recovery password (recommended).
. Long pressing on the menu key toggles expanded desktop (full screen, no more navigation bar and no more status bar).
. Double pressing the menu key kills and hibernates the current application.
. Long pressing the recent key brings you back to the last application (convenient to switch from one app to another).
. Between the home and the back key there's a supplementary key that can display up to 12 apps (editable in gravity box).
Double pressing that key shows the sound panel, long pressing it shows the reboot menu (note that there's an option to take screenshots in the reboot menu).
. When you open an app you'll see a cascade icon at the top or the bottom right, press it and the app will turn into a floating window like on a computer. Now, open the notifications and check the 4 icons at the top, click any of them and the currently opened floating window (s) will be reorganised according to the layout you chose.
. Go to /system/etc/security/cacerts, check the certificates that are there (you'll find the certificate's name approximately by the middle of the file), and erase the ones you don't need/like.
When you want to transfer files to/from your phone open the USB Mass Storage Enabler app and enable mass storage, that's it. When you are done, don't forget to eject your phone from the computer and to reenable MTP from the app.
. When you install a new application, by default it will be fully restricted in both Xprivacy and the Firewall.
Before you open the newly installed app wait until the Xprivacy icon appears in the status bar, then and only then can you open it.
Most likely the app will crash.
Go to Xprivacy, open its settings and then usage data, you will see what restrictions caused the crash. Re enable some, provided that they are not too invasive.
Many apps require "load.Library" to be allowed in the shell section, that's ok.
Others may need to access the sd card, that's in the storage section and it's ok to allow it for apps that really need to access the storage, like players, cameras or file managers (for other apps try to keep it restricted).
Root apps obviously need "su" and/or 'sh", and sometimes "exec", in the shell section.
Always try to enable as few fields as possible, and bear in mind that data requested by an app is not necessarily needed for that app to work (especially true for identification, internet and mcc/mmc access).
Lastly, give the app internet access in the Firewall if, and only if, it needs it, and restrict some more permissions in App Settings.
If you can't tame the app consider uninstalling it and look for a similar one that has less built-in spyware.
SCRIPTS. As said above, by default ADB, all google access (including youtube, blogspot and google search) and the Media Storage are disabled.
If you want to re-enable some or all of them, open the folder on your home screen called "scripts". Click on the desired script and it will be automagically executed.
If you choose to enable/disable google access you ll have to go to the Firewall to reapply its script. Open the firewall, go to settings, choose set custom script, click OK.
. You will see more scripts to disable/enable the Bluetooth, the FM Radio and the Phone.
If you disable the Phone and later want to re-enable it do as follows:
untick App Settings in Xposed's modules section, re-enable Phone, reboot, then enable App Settings again.
. Some scripts will enable you to backup/restore your efs partition and flash a recovery.img (to restore or flash an .img, make sure it's in your internal sd and execute the script).
. Other scripts can enable/disable am and pm, but don't play with it unless you know what you're doing.
. You can uninstall the Wallpaper Chooser and the Media Storage if you want, or keep them disabled and resurrect them when needed.
. If you are very privacy concerned you should consider using the "uncle's phone lite" mod because it enables you to call with only the Phone and the Telephony Provider apps (CSC, Contacts, Contacts Storage, Logs Provider and STK are completely de-activated). That's the method I use to make calls, but you have to know that the dialler forces close after you complete the call (not a big deal in my opinion but still, I may look into it one of these days). You'll find the mod in the add-ons section.
BUGS. For some reason the ADW Launcher doesn't allow transparency in the navigation bars while in portrait, I'm working on that.
. You can't download anything from Lightning and Tint Browser, that's because the Download Manager and the Download UI have been uninstalled. If you need to download something, copy the link and paste it in Pale Moon, it has its own download engine.
. Part of the lockscreen and the dialer don't show in landscape mode, it's because the DPI has been modified in order multi layouts floating windows to work.
. All the installed apps work, but other apps you install may crash. I call that kind of apps "google’s henchmen", they only work if the play store services or the bla bla app are installed and of course they won't on Una since all that garbage has been removed.
If I install your app, why do you want to force me to install your boss' app too? Forget about those apps and search Fdroid, you'll find what you need...
. Depending the way you use your phone you may have to fine tune Xprivacy and reenable some permissions, I'm sorry for the inconvenience but it's impossible to set Xprivacy for all users since we all have different ways to use our phone.
ADD-ONS. Uncle's themed Sony keyboard, flash it in recovery. It's not open source and that's why it's not included in the rom by default, but it's my every day keyboard because it works fine and because I themed it to make it look nice.
. HD Wallpapers
. Universe Wallpapers
http://unaos.com/addons
If there are many users' requests then I'll upload the following:
. Uncle's phone lite (with clipboard and dialer) for hardcore users. It's safer than using the regular phone configuration, but the dialer forces close when you hang up the call. Flash it in recovery, wipe dalvik-cache, reboot.
. Completely disable internet access for the Android System. Lightning and Tint Browser won't connect anymore since they use the same web engine as the Android System (that is anyway not very safe in 4.2.2), but Pale Moon still works thanks to its build-in web engine. Flash it in recovery, wipe dalvik-cache, reboot.
UPDATES?There will be some, but no ETA, you'll have to be patient because now we have to design and release Una for three other phones.
Still, any suggestions/comments/bug reports are welcome, help us to improve Una!
FEATURES REQUESTYeah, sure, we'll see what we can do but we don't promise anything
That's all for now, enjoy the ROM!!!
The Una team
CREDITSBig thanks to:good::
F-Droid
M66B (Xprivacy)
Rovo89 (Xposed)
Tungstwenty (App Settings, Master Key, Fake ID Fix)
Ukanth (AF+Firewall)
Jecelyin (920 Editor)
Kraigsandroid (Alarm Klock)
Thialfihar (APG)
Arity (Arity calculator)
Siacs (Conversations)
Ppareit (FTP)
Ghost Squared (Ghost Commander File manager)
Mohammad Adib (Floating Stickies)
C3C076(Gravity Box)
Oasisfeng (Greenify)
K-9 Dog Walkers (K9 Mail)
Grarak (Kernel Adiutor)
Anthonycr (Lightning)
Xperiacle (Multiwindows Manager)
Pragmatic Software (Network Log)
Mdwh2(Open Camera)
The Guardian Project (Orbot and Orweb)
Eolwral (OS Monitor)
Moon Child and Cyansmoker (Pale Moon)
Droidapps (PDF Reader)
Androguide.fr (Pimp My Rom script)
Simon Marquis (Preferences Manager)
Thad Hughes (Quick Dic)
Q-Supreme team (Quick Pic)
Robert.Developer (Rmaps)
Search Light (Search Light)
Jackpal (Terminal Emulator)
Anasthase (Tint Browser And Tint Browser Adblock Addon)
Thomasebell (Urecord)
Mohammad Abu-Garbeyyeh (USB Mass Storage Enabler)
Zhuhang (Viper4Android FX and Viper4Android XHiFi)
Videolan.org (VLC)
Brambonne (Wi-Fi Privacy Police)
Did I forget someone?
If that's the case let me know and I'll put your name here.
reserved
No screens?
ishmeet1995 said:
No screens?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here you go
I like the effort but there are seriously some thinks you may not know what you are talking about, maybe because lack of knowledge.
Did I mention that I found google’s DNS in Tor (Orbot)? Pretty bad but fear not, I've patched it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most DNS lookups are local to the exit node with occasional use of Google DNS, changing a DNS itself is no guarantee for more security since the data needs to be anonymize too, that's possible if we use I2P together with TOR (because it's impossible to surf the web secure since not all provider/sites using a strong encryption for all stuff like content, external content and the whole site).
Open source vs closed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, mostly I agree open not automatically means it's safe at any time (see opensll and other popular projects) but here it would be help to see some source because you talking about trust and how can we trust you without looking in the code? Is there are proof for all your changes you done?
I've explored deep into the hidden depths of this Samsung ROM, and I didn't find anything questionable (but I had already removed around 150 apps, so there wasn't much left) from Samsung's side
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How you do that if you don't have the source for e.g. the radio modem or other closed parts from a stock rom? Via reverse engineering? - You must have spent a lot of time for this ... I was not able to do it and not even any expert here on xda, it's impossible to one man to reverse and understand all stuff it would take years, even with good tools like IDA and 20 years of knowledge. You can maybe, maybe! only see some parts ... but not inspecting all aspects and since there is no reference I guess nobody can't say what's really secure.
Encrypting would only attract suspicion - why does he encrypt his messages? He must have something to hide!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure you have no idea what you talking about, this shows it. It's not about "..but I have nothing to hide!" it's a common thing, maybe you should read this first.
To tag something with secure is very easy but to proof that without anything is almost impossible. One of the benefit you mentioned is to hardening the OS but that also could be done with scripts/binary's or other stuff without downloading the whole rom, xda is full of it - but sadly most of all "security" things here are never really tested or under the scope from known experts. - but people always believe in the hype and the myths!
Don't get me wrong but maybe you think about it and release something we all can work with (especially the changes only as a diff or something).
CHEF-KOCH said:
I like the effort but there are seriously some thinks you may not know what you are talking about, maybe because lack of knowledge.
Most DNS lookups are local to the exit node with occasional use of Google DNS, changing a DNS itself is no guarantee for more security since the data needs to be anonymize too, that's possible if we use I2P together with TOR (because it's impossible to surf the web secure since not all provider/sites using a strong encryption for all stuff like content, external content and the whole site).
Well, mostly I agree open not automatically means it's safe at any time (see opensll and other popular projects) but here it would be help to see some source because you talking about trust and how can we trust you without looking in the code? Is there are proof for all your changes you done?
How you do that if you don't have the source for e.g. the radio modem or other closed parts from a stock rom? Via reverse engineering? - You must have spent a lot of time for this ... I was not able to do it and not even any expert here on xda, it's impossible to one man to reverse and understand all stuff it would take years, even with good tools like IDA and 20 years of knowledge. You can maybe, maybe! only see some parts ... but not inspecting all aspects and since there is no reference I guess nobody can't say what's really secure.
Sure you have no idea what you talking about, this shows it. It's not about "..but I have nothing to hide!" it's a common thing, maybe you should read this first.
To tag something with secure is very easy but to proof that without anything is almost impossible. One of the benefit you mentioned is to hardening the OS but that also could be done with scripts/binary's or other stuff without downloading the whole rom, xda is full of it - but sadly most of all "security" things here are never really tested or under the scope from known experts. - but people always believe in the hype and the myths!
Don't get me wrong but maybe you think about it and release something we all can work with (especially the changes only as a diff or something).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I’m sorry you feel that way. Did you install the rom at all?
Dear Dev,
Thanks for the ROM for our grand community, but after 5.0 Lollipop do you think people will shift to 4.1 ICS again?
Anyways very nice effort for great customization.
:good::good::good::good::good:
unclefab said:
UNA IS FOR YOU IF:. You are willing to learn how to use an unconventional ROM and generally speaking to understand how things work, even if it sometimes requires a little effort to fix this or that little problem (bear in mind that it took us a lot of work to develop Una to where it is now),
. You don't mind a few little occasional bugs here and there that come from all the restrictions the ROM contains,
. You want to take back ownership of your phone from google’s claws.
UNA IS NOT FOR YOU IF:. All that you care about is the latest gimmick in the latest OS,
. You can't live without the google’s apps,
. You are the kind of person that never reads through the OP and only scroll down to the download section, and then complain that things don't work and/or ask stupid questions in which are answered OP. An example? One guy makes a mod and writes clearly in OP that it's specifically for 4.2.2. Then some people complain: "it doesn't work on 4.4.2"...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hemant4409 said:
Dear Dev,
Thanks for the ROM for our grand community, but after 5.0 Lollipop do you think people will shift to 4.1 ICS again?
Anyways very nice effort for great customization.
:good::good::good::good::good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think everything is quite well explained and your question answered in the OP. Thank you for your interest.
hemant4409 said:
Dear Dev,
Thanks for the ROM for our grand community, but after 5.0 Lollipop do you think people will shift to 4.1 ICS again?
Anyways very nice effort for great customization.
:good::good::good::good::good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No ..never
Edit: and 4.1 is not ICS
I expected that kind of reply, from you or from one of the forum's security experts, the same people that ignored me when I offered to share knowledge and to give advices/opinions on the security thread.
CHEF-KOCH said:
Most DNS lookups are local to the exit node with occasional use of Google DNS, changing a DNS itself is no guarantee for more security since the data needs to be anonymize too, that's possible if we use I2P together with TOR (because it's impossible to surf the web secure since not all provider/sites using a strong encryption for all stuff like content, external content and the whole site). .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I m not the guy that developed Tor, what you are talking about is his business, not mine.
All what i did was to change google's DNS in Tor's code, period.
Well, mostly I agree open not automatically means it's safe at any time (see opensll and other popular projects) but here it would be help to see some source because you talking about trust and how can we trust you without looking in the code? Is there are proof for all your changes you done?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nobody needs to trust me.
As I wrote in OP (did you read it?):
You don't have to take our word for it, just download and install Network Log from here:
https://f-droid.org/repository/brows...ode.networklog
Give it root permission, start logging and open some web pages. Come back to Network Log after a few minutes and see for yourself, you'll be surprised (or maybe horrified?) to find out that your android system, your settings, your kernel etc. connect to all sorts of funny IPs, including and foremost google’s.
Now you see what we mean?
It's time to go for Una
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install the ROM, and see by yourself how it behaves.
Another thing is that all the installed apps in the ROM are open source, apart from 2 that I have reverse engineered, inspected and restricted (Greenify and Quick Pic), and as I said in OP people are fee to uninstall them.
To be honest, on my daily ROM I do use some closed source apps that are very good, that only have legit permissions, that don t spy on me whatsoever, and that dont connect anywhere.
But sadly I couldn t include them in this ROM, because I knew that if I had done it people like you would have criticized me.
How you do that if you don't have the source for e.g. the radio modem or other closed parts from a stock rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Radio modem and the like are closed source, and I never said that I did anything there.
But that s the same in an AOSP or CM ROM, and the only way to overcome that problem is either replicant (but they don support many devices) or baseband isolation.
I have full baseband isoltaion on my daily ROM, but hey, do you think that i could make such a ROM for public release? Do you think that people would like a ROM that transforms their phone in a wifi only device, and need to connect to a modem to have data connection and to call or receive sms'?
Still, people can achieve baseband isolation on this Una Rom, instructions are in OP.
Anyway, all what I said, again in OP is that :
spying that is present on AOSP too since it's google’s material as well (compare the apps' permissions and the network connections in an AOSP/custom ROM and in a stock ROM, it's more or less the same, or better, look at the code).
You can't do everything you want on a closed source ROM (I bet you can't on AOSP either), but to edit and clean the system you don't need the full source code.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You see?
I have removed over 100 system apps, dozens of jars, some xmls and libs, then I have cleaned the remaining apps and jars, then I have set very carefully and very restrictivey the firewall, App Settings and Xprivacy, then I have applied other security related tweaks and yes, Una is secure.
No more data mining, no more unwanted internet connections to google, amazon and who knows where, if that s not secure for you then I don t know what can be called secure.
To tag something with secure is very easy but to proof that without anything is almost impossible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.
Once more, you don t need to trust me.
Install the ROM, open Network Log, look at the Task Manager etc., and see what happens.
maybe you think about it and release something we all can work with (especially the changes only as a diff or something).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why do you need to get anything from someone like me?
You said that I don t know what I am talking about, that I have a lack of knowledge etc., so why would such an expert like you benefit from it?
By the way, did you try the ROM?
BTW again, thanks for the link but sorry, I still don't feel concerned.
I don t use my phone for bank transactions, I m not working on big secret projects, I have blocked adds in the host files and I never get any spam.
Still, thanks for remembering me about encryption, I had forgotten to add in the encryption chapter in OP that Una has encryption apps (APG, Conversations, K9 Mail, Text Secure).
@hemant4409
First, the galaxy Grand will never get Lollipop from Samsung.
From custom ROMs, maybe, but that s not the point.
If people like more gimmicks and fancy transitionts than security it s their problem....
Congrats to all your work and the time spent on the Security subject and thanks for taking the time to share your work. This is the first time I see such a custom rom on XDA (on Internet I'd say) so I wanted to express my gratitude.
Hats off.
You provide a lot of information about security and privacy and the first question is 'No screenshots?' lol
Primokorn said:
Congrats to all your work and the time spent on the Security subject and thanks for taking the time to share your work. This is the first time I see such a custom rom on XDA (on Internet I'd say) so I wanted to express my gratitude.
Hats off.
You provide a lot of information about security and privacy and the first question is 'No screenshots?' lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's screenshots
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=59640778&postcount=4
oskar01 said:
Here's screenshots
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=59640778&postcount=4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG!! He was kidding:cyclops:
I’m sorry you feel that way. Did you install the rom at all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm dl'ed the rom and see what whas changed because a friend asked me to make a statement if this rom really secure anything. Btw no need to quote all stuff over and over again and again.
All what i did was to change google's DNS in Tor's code, period.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't change something you don't have access to or something that is important if we talking about DNS, you can't change the exit nodes. And as mentioned changing a DNS server is no guarantee since they also can log your stuff - it's all about trust, sure - but an OpenNIC without logging (that's proofed) would more help. For more security related stuff about DNS please first read this and this. DNS is not secure anymore, no matter which provider and according to the NSA they have some techniques to identify and infiltrate some servers.
Nobody needs to trust me.
As I wrote in OP (did you read it?):
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, nobody force anyone to install and use your stuff, that's what I'm not saying - but to say x and y was removed or changed is very hard to trust without anything except your words. It's no offensive at all.
Another thing is that all the installed apps in the ROM are open source, apart from 2 that I have reverse engineered, inspected and restricted (Greenify and Quick Pic), and as I said in OP people are fee to uninstall them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I simply not care about the apps, no matter if it contains malware or not, as long they not have any root access or internet connection is simply has no effect. Most apps today do not want to destroy the hardware, they just want to collect and grap your private data and send them back if you turn wifi on (which makes t harder, because without deep package inspection you won't ever notice that there are some wired behaviors with app xy.
... people like you would have criticized me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you just one of the people that can't handle valid arguments or is unable to accept any other arguments we can just stop the whole discussion. - What I've learned from xda is that some people are unable to discuss and calling the moderator instead (for no reasons). It's not against your work, it's to inform and to show others if it's really offers that what you promise here or not. I really hope you understand it.
But that s the same in an AOSP or CM ROM,..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it's not some roms use (outdated) open source modem sources, like CM which is always a big discussion because people "always" complaining about signal related stuff and possible battery drains. Or in other words some people say that with a stock modem/radio they have a better signal compared to CM.
I have removed over 100 system apps, dozens of jars, some xmls and libs, then I have cleaned the remaining apps and jars, then I have set very carefully and very restrictivey the firewall, App Settings and Xprivacy, then I have applied other security related tweaks and yes, Una is secure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Installing security apps is the last line of defense, not the first. Read more about here. I guess you not touched the network code (because it's closed) so that won't change anything at all.
Install the ROM, open Network Log, look at the Task Manager etc., and see what happens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same again that won't change something on application layer, tor is also affected.
.. so why would such an expert like you benefit from it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I not use it, as said a friend asked me because he usually like your work.
.. I have blocked adds in the host files and I never get any spam.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Blocking ads via hosts file not works if you change your mobile connection from e.g. 2G/3G/wifi/lan since on most roms the hosts never gets a re-apply. If you not getting any ads you are a lucky boy but it's very decency on which www your are or which addon you use. If you use Firefox/Plae Moon just use uBlock and configurate the filter list (so no ads at all too) but that not works for apps (but there are also minminguard or adaway [hosts] for it. Sad think about the hosts seems that it coasts more battery and usually takes longer to boot - but okay, anyway matter of taste which stuff you prefer.
Text Secure
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better link or integrate the SMSSecure it's based on Text Secure but encrypts SMS (since Text Secure removed that for some reasons).
.. security related tweaks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which one? TCP/IP stack hardening, protocol changes like only forcing to use latest TLS or what? You see some important details are missing.
I expected that kind of reply, from you or from one of the forum's security experts, the same people that ignored me when I offered to share knowledge and to give advices/opinions on the security thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I reply'ed to this thread but my answer was way to long so I got a loading problem (the reasons I asked a mod to remove my post). I'm working on something but it's not fully done yet. The problem is that it will be the longest post here on XDA ever (if I release it here - I'm not really a xda fan) and it's very complicated so there will be a lot of people that may possible will never understand all stuff.
So, sorry if you feel that I "ignored" your post. But feel free to visit my Github stuff or just visit infosec institute to read my other stuff.
So the main question is here if you show us your mods or not? Or if you plan to release a "hardening package" or not? That's all I want to talk about.
@CHEF-KOCH
You came out of the blue on this thread, basically saying that I'm a moron that doesn't know what he's talking about and implying that this ROM is garbage, then you said you will download the rom and make a statement about whether it's secure or not.
And...?
Nothing, but you edited your post with the following:
So the main question is here if you show us your mods or not? Or if you plan to release a "hardening package" or not? That's all I want to talk about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that fair?
Seriously, what would you think and what would you do if you were me?
If this ROM is garbage, prove it.
Otherwise, go polluting another thread...
unclefab said:
@CHEF-KOCH
You came out of the blue on this thread, basically saying that I'm a moron that doesn't know what he's talking about and implying that this ROM is garbage, then you said you will download the rom and make a statement about whether it's secure or not.
And...?
Nothing, but you edited your post with the following:
Is that fair?
Seriously, what would you think and what would you do if you were me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't bother with @CHEF-KOCH. He just want you to share your knowledge with him, so he can "use" it and make you look like an idiot! Also, he is a liar, he didn't come here because of a "friend" but because of my post on your security thread. When he had some strange "loading issues" I also asked him very politely where was the problem....he never bother to reply, and he deleted the post, so what kind of person he is? He is a hater, and a spitter and "no constructive help" from him, so don't lose your time with him!
I'm giving up, useless to talk here.
CHEF-KOCH said:
I'm giving up, useless to talk here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you mister know it all, and please don t come back, there are plenty of other threads to pollute...
Too bad that you couldn t prove that this rom is garbage
And too bad that you are too arrogant to admit that you were wrong when you implied that I m an idiot and that this rom is garbage...
i can only post one :thumbup: per post , but if i could then ........... :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: , at least some knowledgeable people are trying.
"all I can really do , is stay out of my own way and let the will of heaven be done"
Awesome thread
I do not have Grand but my brother has it. I was searching a rom for him and found your thread. I must say I did not find any thread like you in at least Samsung area. You people did a great work. Security is a great concern and if you secure the system then it itself become light weight because you take out spyware craps out of it. I appreciate your work. Good job man. Pleas e develop something in Note 3 LTE section as well.