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Google to Samsung: Stop messing with Linux kernel code. It's hurting Android security

Submitted by Roy Schestowitz on Thursday 13th of February 2020 03:17:24 PM Filed under
Android
Linux
Google
Security

Samsung's attempt to prevent attacks on Galaxy phones by modifying kernel code ended up exposing it to more security bugs, according to Google Project Zero (GPZ).

Not only are smartphone makers like Samsung creating more vulnerabilities by adding downstream custom drivers for direct hardware access to Android's Linux kernel, vendors would be better off using security features that already exist in the Linux kernel, according to GPZ researcher Jann Horn.

[...]

Incidentally, the February update also includes a patch for critical flaw in "TEEGRIS devices", referring to Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) on newer Galaxy phones that contain Samsung's proprietary TEE operating system. The Galaxy S10 is among TEEGRIS devices.

But Horn's new blogpost is focused on efforts in Android to reduce the security impact of vendors adding unique code to the kernel.

"Android has been reducing the security impact of such code by locking down which processes have access to device drivers, which are often vendor-specific," explains Horn.

An example is that newer Android phones access hardware through dedicated helper processes, collectively known as the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) in Android. But Horn says vendors modifying how core parts of the Linux kernel work undermines efforts to "lock down the attack surface".

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Google slams Samsung for making unnecessary changes to Linux

Submitted by Roy Schestowitz on Friday 14th of February 2020 07:23:03 PM.
  • Google slams Samsung for making unnecessary changes to Linux kernel code

    We all know that Samsung makes an extra effort in strengthening the security of its smartphones with initiatives such as Knox. However, sometimes those extra efforts hurt more than they help. Now, Google has slammed the South Korean smartphone brand for making unnecessary changes to the Linux kernel code and exposing it to more security bugs.

    According to Google Project Zero researcher Jann Horn, Samsung is creating more vulnerabilities by adding downstream custom drivers for direct hardware access to Android’s Linux kernel. These changes are implemented without being reviewed by upstream kernel developers. Horn found a similar mistake in the Android kernel of the Galaxy A50, and the unreviewed custom driver added security bugs related to memory corruption.

Google Scolds Samsung For Making Linux Kernel In Android

Submitted by Rianne Schestowitz on Monday 17th of February 2020 06:13:28 PM.
  • Google Scolds Samsung For Making Linux Kernel In Android More Hackable

    Google is accustomed to seeing smartphone vendors making changes to the Linux kernel in Android. It is essential, at times, for some device-specific drivers to function properly.

    However, it was “unnecessary” to make such changes in Samsung Galaxy A50’s Android kernel, writes Google’s Jann Horn in a blog post. Horn is part of Google’s Project Zero (GPZ) team that is responsible for finding bugs and security exploits.

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