
CyanogenMod 9 will have root disabled by default - jhack
http://www.cyanogenmod.com/blog/security-and-you
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nsomaru
...and will provide an easy way to enable it.

Seems like a good move after reading the post.

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Shank
I see this as a good thing. The first step towards CyanogenMod being shipped
with actual phones is fixing up some of the biggest handicaps it currently
has.

It's just like the unknown sources setting. I could reliably be more confident
when installing CM onto friends & family's phones with the assurance that they
can't instantly screw something up.

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jakeonthemove
One thing I don't like about Android in general is how many permissions a lot
of apps get. I can't tell what exactly they're using them for and whether that
"full network access" means an app (with root access) can upload all my
contacts or files to some remote server.

On Windows and Linux I always have a firewall (and anti-malware software)
installed and set to manual/strict mode, so I know what app is trying to
access what remote IP. Can't do that on Android, so I don't keep any
information I wouldn't want to fall into wrong hands (no usernames, passwords,
photos, etc.)...

Disabling root by default is very reasonable, especially for a ROM that is
used by thousands of "normal users"...

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njs12345
That kind of stuff is eminently possible on Android, but obviously it's not
particularly a high priority for Google to get it in the mainline!

We did some proof of concept work and had an implementation of some similiar
ideas a while ago (bit outdated now):
<http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/research/dtg/android/mock/>

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drcube
Why does it have to be all apps or none? Can't it be selective, at selected
times, like "sudo" on a regular linux distro?

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esolyt
Superuser application already handles that after you've enabled root access
from Cyanogenmod settings.

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drcube
Well, not quite. At least on my phone, an app keeps root permissions after
allowing it with Superuser once. What I'd like is a "sudo" I have to allow
everytime. So I know each time a program wants to have root priveleges and I
can grant those priveleges selectively.

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chimeracoder
Honest question: How many Cyanogenmod users _don't_ want their device to be
rooted?

Though my friends are anything but representative, I don't know a single one,
and I can't imagine anyone who would go through the process of
rooting/unlocking/flashing, and then specifically want an _unrooted_ device in
the end.

~~~
orangecat
I can see there being a decent number who just want to update to the latest
Android version and/or remove their phone's preinstalled bloatware.

~~~
cs702
I'm in that camp: I want a phone that works and is secure out of the box, but
don't want all the adware and ad-supporting bloatware that Google and Apple
load unto Android and iOS. This was long overdue in CyanogenMod.

(So far, CyanogenMod is the only realistic alternative for those of us who
want a safe, secure, 'unbloated' phone.)

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noPENGSinALASKA
Well it seems like a great idea, yes, but in all reality it may cause some
serious problems. What exactly does _easily_ enable root mean? Will it
essentially be a one click root built into the OS? Personally, for my Nexus,
it takes about 2 minutes to root. All that has to be done is open the command
pront/terminal and type a few words. I actually just had to reroot after
flashing the 4.0.4 update.zip. I'm actually not too sure this is a great idea.

 _"Many of you may not give it a second glance, but among all the furor and
concern about permissions requested by market apps and privacy, all Custom
ROMs (CyanogenMod included) ship with one major security risk — root!"_

Most anyone who is willing to root and ROM will be savvy enough to know how to
avoid security issues and things like malware in non-market apps. While I
believe this is a good idea I am not sure how easily it can be implemented.

Knowing the CM team is pretty good gives me high hopes about this, but I am
just curious how they plan on allowing everyone to root easily from within the
OS.

Edit: Actually what they are doing makes sense. You don't run Linux as root
all day. I am just curious as to how they will easily allow root to be turned
on and off.

~~~
uxp
> Most anyone who is willing to root and ROM will be savvy enough to know how
> to avoid security issues and things like malware in non-market apps.

Based on nearly every thread I've read on xda-developers forums, I'd put my
money on the fact that most users are just savvy enough to copy-paste
directions, and the moment something goes wrong the only recourse is to jump
to the internet and hope someone else has figured it out already. I have
plenty of friends that don't have the slightest clue as to what root actually
means or what sudo or su do with rooted Android phones running CM.

Hell, the Rooting scene is one of the shadiest scenes I've ever seen. Have you
seen how many links are on xda-developers that point to random binaries on
mediafire.com? Half those binaries are completely open source, with the
majority being distributed with the Android SDK, as in, there is no reason it
needs to be distributed as a binary, but most users don't know how to compile
it anyways, so it comes in the easiest unsigned format without sha/md5 sums.
The other half are kernel modules to install or binaries you execute as root
on your phone. I wouldn't touch a random kernel module from mediafire.com on
my desktop or servers, but since it's going into my phone, it's somehow safe?
How is installing that any different than installing a non-market malware app?

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mindslight
This still doesn't sound the most secure. I think it would be better to have a
multi-layer config, where the first layer is something like "Enable Enable
Enable Root?", which enables the second layer dialog "Enable Enable Root?",
which enables "Enable Root?" dialog, which then enables the SuperUser.apk
"Enable Root for this application". You can't be too secure.

I do agree that getting rid of the ever present root shell on the USB port is
a good idea, but asking if you'd like to be asked questions? Coating a knife
with liquid rubber doesn't get you a safer knife.

