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authorDenis 'GNUtoo' Carikli <GNUtoo@no-log.org>2016-03-28 20:50:22 +0200
committerPaul Kocialkowski <contact@paulk.fr>2016-04-20 09:24:12 +0200
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freedom-privacy-security-issues: Split into new lines after images links
The Images links html is very long, and therefor less readable by humans. This is to have more readable git diffs. Signed-off-by: Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli <GNUtoo@no-log.org>
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@@ -12,7 +12,8 @@
</p>
<h3>A simplified overview of mobile devices</h3>
<p>
- <a href="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/hardware.png" data-lightbox="overview" data-title="Hardware-side overview"><img src="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/hardware.png" alt="Hardware-side overview" style="width: 250px; float: left;"/></a>On the hardware side, mobile devices are built with a system on a chip (SoC) that includes a processor (CPU) and various other fundamental components, around which are found various integrated circuits, memory (RAM), storage, user input/output (I/O), etc.
+ <a href="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/hardware.png" data-lightbox="overview" data-title="Hardware-side overview"><img src="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/hardware.png" alt="Hardware-side overview" style="width: 250px; float: left;"/></a>
+ On the hardware side, mobile devices are built with a system on a chip (SoC) that includes a processor (CPU) and various other fundamental components, around which are found various integrated circuits, memory (RAM), storage, user input/output (I/O), etc.
When the device is telephony-enabled, it also features a modem, which is the component in charge of dealing with the mobile telephony network.
Nowadays, it is usually a powerful processor, sometimes with its own memory and storage.
</p>
@@ -20,7 +21,8 @@
Regarding the software side of things on mobile devices, the main CPU (inside the SoC) starts by executing initial boot code, often known as the bootrom.
This code will look up various places such as NAND, eMMC or MMC (sd/micro sd card) storage, depending on the hardware configuration, to load a bootloader.
The bootloader, which is in fact often split in different stages, is in charge of bringing up and configuring various aspects of the hardware and eventually starting the operating system by loading and running its kernel.<br />
- <a href="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/software.png" data-lightbox="overview" data-title="Software-side overview"><img src="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/software.png" alt="Software-side overview" style="width: 250px; float: right;"/></a>The kernel itself, among other things, deals with the hardware directly and provides ways for other programs (running in user-space) to access it.
+ <a href="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/software.png" data-lightbox="overview" data-title="Software-side overview"><img src="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/software.png" alt="Software-side overview" style="width: 250px; float: right;"/></a>
+ The kernel itself, among other things, deals with the hardware directly and provides ways for other programs (running in user-space) to access it.
In user-space, hardware abstraction layers are programs specific to each device that know how to properly drive the hardware.
They use the kernel to communicate back and forth with the hardware and implement the proper protocols for it.<br /><br />
The actual knowledge of how to drive the hardware is split between the kernel and the hardware abstraction layer libraries: both are needed to make it work properly.
@@ -48,7 +50,8 @@
However, it is not always possible to even replace those firmwares: some are loaded to the integrated circuit by the main CPU but some others are pre-installed in the circuit (in that case, they almost seem to behave like hardware) and cannot be updated to a free replacement.
</p>
<p>
- <a href="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/bad-modem-isolation.png" data-lightbox="current-situation" data-title="Bad modem isolation"><img src="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/bad-modem-isolation.png" alt="Bad modem isolation" style="width: 250px; float: left;"/></a>The modem system on telephony-enabled mobile devices is always proprietary.
+ <a href="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/bad-modem-isolation.png" data-lightbox="current-situation" data-title="Bad modem isolation"><img src="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/bad-modem-isolation.png" alt="Bad modem isolation" style="width: 250px; float: left;"/></a>
+ The modem system on telephony-enabled mobile devices is always proprietary.
While <a href="//bb.osmocom.org/">OsmocomBB</a>, a free software GSM stack exists, it only runs on old feature phones, currently requires a host computer to operate and is not certified to run on public networks.
Despite this situation, the modem remains a crucial part for privacy/security: it is nearly always connected to the GSM network, allowing for <a href="//www.gnu.org/philosophy/malware-mobiles.html">remote control</a>.
The modem can be more or less damaging to privacy/security depending on what hardware it has access to and can control.
@@ -56,7 +59,8 @@
A device with bad modem isolation would allow the modem to access and control key parts of the hardware, such as the RAM, storage, GPS, camera, user I/O and microphone.
This situation is terrible for privacy/security as it provides plenty of ways to efficiently spy on the user, triggered remotely over the mobile telephony network.
Those are accessible to the mobile telephony operator, but also to attackers setting up fake base stations for that purpose.
- <a href="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/good-modem-isolation.png" data-lightbox="current-situation" data-title="Good modem isolation"><img src="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/good-modem-isolation.png" alt="Good modem isolation" style="width: 250px; float: right;"/></a>On the other hand, when the modem is well-isolated from the rest of the device, it is limited to communicating directly with the SoC and can only access the device's microphone when allowed by the SoC.
+ <a href="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/good-modem-isolation.png" data-lightbox="current-situation" data-title="Good modem isolation"><img src="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/good-modem-isolation.png" alt="Good modem isolation" style="width: 250px; float: right;"/></a>
+ On the other hand, when the modem is well-isolated from the rest of the device, it is limited to communicating directly with the SoC and can only access the device's microphone when allowed by the SoC.
It is then strictly limited to accessing what it really needs, which considerably reduces its opportunities to spy on the user.
While it doesn't solve any of the freedom issues, having an isolated modem is a big step forward for privacy/security.
However, it is nearly impossible to be entirely sure that the modem is actually isolated, as any documentation about the device cannot be trusted, due to the lack of effective hardware freedom.
@@ -74,7 +78,8 @@
Allwinner Ax, TI OMAP General-Purpose).
</p>
<p>
- <a href="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/operating-system.png" data-lightbox="current-situation" data-title="Mobile operating system"><img src="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/operating-system.png" alt="Mobile operating system" style="width: 250px; float: left;"/></a>The biggest part of the software running on a mobile device is the operating system, that runs on the main CPU.
+ <a href="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/operating-system.png" data-lightbox="current-situation" data-title="Mobile operating system"><img src="images/freedom-privacy-security-issues/operating-system.png" alt="Mobile operating system" style="width: 250px; float: left;"/></a>
+ The biggest part of the software running on a mobile device is the operating system, that runs on the main CPU.
It has access to most integrated circuits (I/O, camera, microphone, GPS, etc) as well as the user's data and communications.
It is the most critical part for privacy/security and is also very important for free software as it interacts with the user directly and holds knowledge about communication with the hardware.
Many mobile operating systems are mostly free software (e.g.