How Phones Can Be Attacked, But Why This Isn't a Source of Fear (Not About Privacy)

00:25:45
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAfFAJ0LJwM

Sintesi

TLDRThe video addresses the security concerns related to mobile phones, particularly focusing on the threats posed by state surveillance, physical access, and remote hacking. It distinguishes between the average user, who is generally not a target for sophisticated attacks, and high-value individuals like journalists and whistleblowers who face greater risks. The speaker emphasizes the importance of privacy over security for most users and advocates for the use of open-source phones to mitigate privacy risks. Various attack methods are discussed, including data extraction techniques and the implications of biometric security. The video concludes by encouraging viewers to be aware of their data security and privacy.

Punti di forza

  • 🔒 Privacy is more important than security for average users.
  • 📱 Open-source phones can help mitigate privacy risks.
  • 🔍 State surveillance poses a significant threat to high-value targets.
  • 🔑 AFU and BFU states determine data access levels on phones.
  • 🛡️ Biometric security adds a layer of protection against known individuals.
  • 💻 Tools like Graykey can extract data from locked phones.
  • 🚨 Pegasus attacks are sophisticated and target high-value individuals.
  • 🔄 Reinstalling the ROM can help if a phone is compromised.
  • 👀 Awareness of who has access to your phone is crucial.
  • 📊 Most data privacy issues stem from big tech companies.

Linea temporale

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The speaker discusses the importance of privacy phones amidst concerns about mobile phone security. They acknowledge that while phones can be unsafe, the focus should be on the greater threat of mass surveillance by big tech and governments rather than individual attacks. The average user doesn't need to worry about high-level security threats, but it's essential to understand these issues to make informed decisions about phone security and privacy.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    The video will primarily address security issues related to phones, emphasizing that phones are generally hard to attack. The speaker contrasts the need for heavy security for those who store significant data on their phones with the recommendation for privacy-focused individuals to limit the data they keep on their devices. The discussion will cover various security threats, including data extraction by authorities and the implications of physical access to devices.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    The speaker explains the different states of phone security, such as AFU (after first unlock) and BFU (before first unlock), and how these affect data accessibility. They highlight tools used by law enforcement to extract data from phones and the importance of rebooting devices to minimize data exposure. The risks of physical access by known individuals and the potential for malware installation are also discussed, along with the limitations of average hackers compared to state-level threats.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:25:45

    The speaker outlines various attack methods, including remote hacking and supply chain attacks, emphasizing that while these threats exist, they are often targeted at high-value individuals rather than the average user. They stress the importance of understanding these risks while also recognizing that the primary concern for most people should be the privacy issues posed by big tech companies. The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to consider open-source phones to enhance their privacy and security.

Mostra di più

Mappa mentale

Video Domande e Risposte

  • What are the main security threats to mobile phones?

    The main threats include state surveillance, physical access attacks, remote hacking, and supply chain attacks.

  • Do average users need to worry about phone security?

    Generally, average users are not high-value targets and do not need to worry excessively about advanced threats.

  • What is the difference between AFU and BFU states?

    AFU (After First Unlock) allows more data access, while BFU (Before First Unlock) restricts access to minimal data.

  • How can someone extract data from a locked phone?

    Tools like Graykey can brute force passwords to unlock phones and extract data.

  • What is a Pegasus attack?

    A Pegasus attack is a sophisticated remote hacking method used primarily against high-value targets.

  • What is the role of biometric security like fingerprint protection?

    Biometric security can provide an additional layer of protection, especially against known individuals.

  • What is the significance of using open-source phones?

    Open-source phones help eliminate privacy issues by reducing data collection by big tech companies.

  • How can I protect my phone from physical access threats?

    Using strong passwords, biometric security, and being aware of who has access to your phone can help.

  • What is the main focus of the speaker in this video?

    The speaker focuses on security issues while emphasizing the greater importance of privacy concerns.

  • What should I do if I suspect my phone has been compromised?

    Reinstalling the ROM or performing a factory reset can help, but a complete ROM reinstall is recommended.

Visualizza altre sintesi video

Ottenete l'accesso immediato ai riassunti gratuiti dei video di YouTube grazie all'intelligenza artificiale!
Sottotitoli
en
Scorrimento automatico:
  • 00:00:00
    There's a bit of an elephant in the room
  • 00:00:02
    when talking about mobile phones. While
  • 00:00:05
    I emphatically tell you that you should
  • 00:00:07
    get an open- source phone for your
  • 00:00:08
    privacy, someone is bound to make a
  • 00:00:11
    video comment saying that phones are
  • 00:00:13
    unsafe. And then these people will
  • 00:00:15
    school me on the security problems with
  • 00:00:17
    phones. And admittedly, these people are
  • 00:00:20
    not wrong. So, one would ask, why would
  • 00:00:23
    you listen to me talking about privacy
  • 00:00:25
    phones when I cannot even assure you of
  • 00:00:28
    safety with threats like that? More
  • 00:00:31
    aggressive aspects of phone security is
  • 00:00:32
    not the area I focus on a lot since I am
  • 00:00:35
    more targeted towards big tech and
  • 00:00:37
    government mass surveillance, which I
  • 00:00:39
    believe is the greater threat way more
  • 00:00:42
    than individual targeted attacks. We all
  • 00:00:45
    want and need privacy and we need some
  • 00:00:48
    level of security on our phones, though
  • 00:00:50
    we are just average everyday users.
  • 00:00:53
    However, some people like Edward
  • 00:00:55
    Snowden, Julian Assange, whistleblowers,
  • 00:00:57
    journalists, politicians, and people who
  • 00:00:59
    live in the underworld of spycraft or
  • 00:01:02
    likely even criminals like drug dealers
  • 00:01:04
    need a level of security that's above
  • 00:01:06
    and beyond.
  • 00:01:08
    Then there are the famous people who get
  • 00:01:10
    blackmailed because of their nude photos
  • 00:01:13
    like Jeff Bezos or those who get
  • 00:01:15
    assassinated when speaking against the
  • 00:01:18
    Saudi government like Jamal Kosigible.
  • 00:01:21
    Both supposedly powered by a Pegasus
  • 00:01:24
    hack from the NSO group.
  • 00:01:27
    Or if you're a criminal, a spy, or an
  • 00:01:30
    enemy of the state, then when you are
  • 00:01:31
    arrested, they can take your phone and
  • 00:01:33
    extract your files and photos using
  • 00:01:35
    advanced tools. or someone could hack
  • 00:01:38
    you remotely.
  • 00:01:40
    Let me be clear, the average person
  • 00:01:43
    doesn't really need to worry too much
  • 00:01:45
    about these threats because these are
  • 00:01:47
    focused on high value targets. However,
  • 00:01:50
    I need to explain it to you so you can
  • 00:01:52
    judge for yourself if these are things
  • 00:01:54
    you need to worry about or not. I don't
  • 00:01:57
    want to give you an incomplete picture
  • 00:01:59
    with phone. So, stay right there.
  • 00:02:07
    In this video, I will delve primarily
  • 00:02:09
    into security issues on phones and we'll
  • 00:02:12
    skip the privacy threats of big tech. I
  • 00:02:14
    want to stress that the average person
  • 00:02:16
    is not a security target and phones are
  • 00:02:19
    generally very hard to attack. The
  • 00:02:22
    strong focus on security like on iPhones
  • 00:02:25
    and security features being pushed by a
  • 00:02:27
    graphine OS is based on the premise that
  • 00:02:30
    you should put all your data on your
  • 00:02:33
    phone.
  • 00:02:34
    and now you must spend all your time
  • 00:02:36
    guarding it. This is in contrast with a
  • 00:02:40
    privacy focused person who I encourage
  • 00:02:43
    not to put too much data on the phone to
  • 00:02:45
    begin with. So heavy security is not so
  • 00:02:48
    much the focus. However, if you put your
  • 00:02:50
    life on the phone, then yes, you will be
  • 00:02:53
    super interested in security and this
  • 00:02:55
    will concern you more. So today we will
  • 00:02:58
    focus on the security side and the
  • 00:03:00
    threats that you need to be aware of.
  • 00:03:04
    A state with physical access, data
  • 00:03:07
    extraction. If you're at the airport and
  • 00:03:09
    the authorities stop you and take your
  • 00:03:11
    phone, can they access your data? And
  • 00:03:14
    the answer is yes. And the amount of
  • 00:03:17
    data they can capture depends on
  • 00:03:19
    acronyms like BFU, AFU, and FFS. This is
  • 00:03:23
    important, so learn this with me. Newer
  • 00:03:26
    phones have a feature called the
  • 00:03:28
    filebased encryption or FBE. When you
  • 00:03:30
    put in your PIN code, password, Face ID,
  • 00:03:33
    fingerprint, or whatever on your device,
  • 00:03:36
    the device uses that to generate long
  • 00:03:38
    encryption keys, which are then used to
  • 00:03:41
    encrypt your files. As long as your
  • 00:03:44
    phone is unlocked once, but your device
  • 00:03:47
    is on the lock screen, the files on your
  • 00:03:50
    phone remain unencrypted. This state is
  • 00:03:53
    called AFU after first unlock.
  • 00:03:59
    Companies like Celbrite, which I
  • 00:04:00
    mentioned in a recent video, have tools
  • 00:04:03
    that can extract a majority of data from
  • 00:04:05
    a device if the device is in AFU mode.
  • 00:04:10
    And if your unlocked device is not on
  • 00:04:13
    the lock screen, they can extract the
  • 00:04:15
    entire data contents in a full transfer
  • 00:04:18
    mode called FFS. How do they extract
  • 00:04:21
    data for FFS? A company called Gray
  • 00:04:24
    Shift has a program called Graykey that
  • 00:04:27
    can brute force the password on a phone
  • 00:04:30
    and thus completely unlock it.
  • 00:04:32
    Apparently, this uses a zeroday
  • 00:04:34
    vulnerability and it can bypass the
  • 00:04:36
    protections of both iPhones and
  • 00:04:38
    Androids. These are tools used by law
  • 00:04:41
    enforcement. Now, interestingly, if you
  • 00:04:43
    reboot your phone, you are in a state
  • 00:04:45
    called BFU or before first unlock. In
  • 00:04:48
    this state, the data that can be
  • 00:04:49
    accessed is very minimal. So in this
  • 00:04:51
    kind of emergency just make sure to
  • 00:04:53
    reboot your phone before it can be taken
  • 00:04:56
    though you cannot be protected against
  • 00:04:59
    great key. Some forensic people have
  • 00:05:01
    stated that if you freeze the phone
  • 00:05:03
    memory it would ensure that the contents
  • 00:05:06
    of memory remain fixed and this would
  • 00:05:08
    allow it to be accessed later. These are
  • 00:05:11
    just examples of techniques used to
  • 00:05:13
    extract data like encryption keys and
  • 00:05:15
    memory.
  • 00:05:18
    A state with physical access
  • 00:05:20
    surveillance. When a state gets access
  • 00:05:23
    to your phone, they may return the phone
  • 00:05:25
    to you and at that point the phone is
  • 00:05:28
    likely tainted. There are very many ways
  • 00:05:30
    to insert malware into a phone or leave
  • 00:05:33
    it temporarily in memory when there's
  • 00:05:35
    physical access. Again, this is state
  • 00:05:38
    level stuff, not something the average
  • 00:05:40
    hacker can do. They can install secret
  • 00:05:42
    system apps directly modify executables
  • 00:05:45
    in Linux, root the phone, possibly put
  • 00:05:48
    key loggers and Trojans on the phone
  • 00:05:51
    since they can brute force the password.
  • 00:05:53
    They can get the same access as you can.
  • 00:05:56
    So all of this is possible. But the only
  • 00:05:59
    solution possible from here is at best
  • 00:06:02
    to reinstall the custom ROM from
  • 00:06:04
    scratch. But to play it safe, I just
  • 00:06:07
    sell the phone and get another. Now,
  • 00:06:09
    some of you will claim that your
  • 00:06:11
    ex-husband or ex-girlfriend did this to
  • 00:06:14
    your phone. Well, we'll get to that
  • 00:06:16
    later, but it is possible only if they
  • 00:06:19
    know your password. But in the
  • 00:06:21
    government case here, they can brute
  • 00:06:23
    force the password using gray key.
  • 00:06:29
    Physical attacks by people, you know.
  • 00:06:32
    There's an equivalent physical attacks
  • 00:06:34
    possibility in cases when someone you
  • 00:06:36
    know like an X had physical access to
  • 00:06:39
    your phone. The difference here is that
  • 00:06:41
    this person likely knew your password
  • 00:06:43
    like a pin code or pattern that is
  • 00:06:46
    easily noticed. If there is a potential
  • 00:06:49
    risk of this kind, I would probably rely
  • 00:06:51
    more on fingerprint protection as that
  • 00:06:54
    can not really be noticed. Some phones
  • 00:06:56
    can be fooled with a Face ID, so that's
  • 00:06:59
    not 100%. But if the only way to access
  • 00:07:02
    the phone is via fingerprint, then it is
  • 00:07:04
    more protected from others in your
  • 00:07:06
    house. There's some issue though with
  • 00:07:08
    fourth amendment rules pertaining to
  • 00:07:10
    biometric password. So just be aware of
  • 00:07:12
    that. The problem is that once someone
  • 00:07:15
    gets access to your phone with a valid
  • 00:07:18
    password, then they have complete
  • 00:07:20
    control and can route the phone, insert
  • 00:07:23
    the same key loggers, Trojans, and
  • 00:07:25
    advanced spyware. However, I failed to
  • 00:07:29
    imagine an average hacker with this
  • 00:07:31
    skill set. The most likely tools they
  • 00:07:34
    can install are commercial spyware apps
  • 00:07:36
    with subscriptions, and there are many
  • 00:07:40
    like location trackers and tools that
  • 00:07:43
    parents use to spy on their kids social
  • 00:07:45
    media use. This is the likely low tech
  • 00:07:48
    way, and these can be hidden if you're
  • 00:07:50
    not looking for them. Many of you assume
  • 00:07:53
    that everyone has some advanced skill
  • 00:07:56
    set in hacking here. Extremely wrong.
  • 00:07:59
    Most hackers are actually just crackers.
  • 00:08:02
    They copy what others have done. Very
  • 00:08:04
    few people have sophisticated hacking
  • 00:08:06
    skills and most of them will have
  • 00:08:08
    highpaying jobs in their fields or paid
  • 00:08:10
    highly for criminal activity.
  • 00:08:13
    Reinstalling the ROM should solve this
  • 00:08:15
    kind of case. A factory reset may not be
  • 00:08:17
    sufficient here depending on whether the
  • 00:08:20
    device was rooted. Although a factory
  • 00:08:22
    reset should be the first line of
  • 00:08:24
    defense when in a rush. Just note though
  • 00:08:27
    that modifying the root level files will
  • 00:08:30
    often break verified boot. So you will
  • 00:08:33
    likely get a warning as well. So if your
  • 00:08:35
    phone comes with a verified boot OS like
  • 00:08:38
    on a Bra 3 or a Graphine OS, then you
  • 00:08:41
    should pay attention to changes in
  • 00:08:43
    warnings on boot.
  • 00:08:45
    This does not apply to installations
  • 00:08:48
    like Linux OS that do not have verified
  • 00:08:52
    boot.
  • 00:08:55
    Internet attack full decryption. This is
  • 00:08:58
    likely the most common threat affecting
  • 00:09:00
    the most people and I would imagine this
  • 00:09:03
    to be applicable to countries that do a
  • 00:09:05
    heavy surveillance of their population.
  • 00:09:07
    Examples of countries in this category
  • 00:09:09
    would be China, Russia, Iran, Saudi
  • 00:09:11
    Arabia to name a few. The attack method
  • 00:09:14
    here is based on requiring citizens to
  • 00:09:17
    download some app to access some
  • 00:09:20
    government service. Then the app
  • 00:09:22
    installs a fake root certificate on the
  • 00:09:25
    device. I discussed the mechanics of
  • 00:09:27
    root certificate attacks in an old
  • 00:09:29
    video, but just in general, a fake root
  • 00:09:31
    certificate breaks the TLS encryption on
  • 00:09:34
    the internet. Whoever has a private key
  • 00:09:36
    to that root certificate meaning in
  • 00:09:39
    country internet routers and such can
  • 00:09:42
    then read the content in plain text and
  • 00:09:44
    use that to perform mass surveillance.
  • 00:09:48
    The other possibility which crosses into
  • 00:09:50
    a physical attack is that someone could
  • 00:09:53
    physically just insert a fake root
  • 00:09:55
    certificate on your device. This will
  • 00:09:57
    not leave any app to look at. So you may
  • 00:09:59
    not be aware of this change. And the
  • 00:10:02
    other approach here is that it can be
  • 00:10:04
    installed as part of an anti virus
  • 00:10:06
    project. Avast is an example of an app
  • 00:10:08
    that installs fake root certificates. So
  • 00:10:11
    if someone has access to that private
  • 00:10:13
    key, then any device with a VAS could be
  • 00:10:16
    spied on. So this could be used either
  • 00:10:19
    for mass surveillance or a targeted
  • 00:10:21
    attack.
  • 00:10:24
    Remote hacking attack.
  • 00:10:27
    Now let's get into remote attacks. This
  • 00:10:29
    is the kind of attack that involves
  • 00:10:31
    something like a Pegasus from the NSO
  • 00:10:33
    group. This kind of attack is beyond the
  • 00:10:36
    skill set of a normal hacker. This is
  • 00:10:38
    for those with deep pockets. The NSO
  • 00:10:41
    group does not provide hacking tools for
  • 00:10:43
    free and typically they market to
  • 00:10:45
    governments, though I imagine big
  • 00:10:46
    corporations could afford it, too. I'm
  • 00:10:49
    guessing that a Pegasus hack will have a
  • 00:10:52
    $1 million price tag. Are you worth 1
  • 00:10:56
    million to your opponent? So, if you're
  • 00:10:58
    expecting your ex to have access to a
  • 00:11:00
    Pegasus attack with remote hacking, then
  • 00:11:03
    you really need to move on to more
  • 00:11:04
    realistic concerns. Pegasus is based on
  • 00:11:08
    some toate unknown zero day, which I
  • 00:11:11
    imagine cost the NSO group a lot of
  • 00:11:14
    money to discover. It would be their
  • 00:11:16
    most protected asset. Pegasus is a
  • 00:11:19
    no-click attack. So, apparently, this
  • 00:11:21
    will not require you to take action to
  • 00:11:23
    embed the malware, which can extract
  • 00:11:25
    data from your phone. The most common
  • 00:11:28
    reason for zero days is a memory leak
  • 00:11:30
    which allows some root level code to be
  • 00:11:32
    inserted and then the phone becomes
  • 00:11:35
    vulnerable. And mostly it's been used
  • 00:11:37
    heavily against journalists and
  • 00:11:39
    anti-government people speaking against
  • 00:11:41
    certain iron fist regimes. At least in
  • 00:11:45
    publicized cases, it does not appear to
  • 00:11:47
    be used by the US. Though it wouldn't
  • 00:11:49
    surprise me if they had similar access.
  • 00:11:52
    From my research, the likely element
  • 00:11:54
    containing the malware payload is an
  • 00:11:57
    attachment. Either an attachment to
  • 00:11:59
    email, SMS, or iMessage. So, Apple
  • 00:12:02
    attempted to counter it by having a mode
  • 00:12:04
    where all attachments are eliminated.
  • 00:12:09
    Remote hacking attack SS7.
  • 00:12:12
    This requires a separate video on its
  • 00:12:14
    own and it is the SS7 architecture of
  • 00:12:17
    the phone network. Your phone has the
  • 00:12:20
    modem processor or otherwise called the
  • 00:12:22
    bassband modem and this device can be
  • 00:12:25
    remote controlled using SS7 commands and
  • 00:12:27
    even custom modem commands sent through
  • 00:12:31
    SS7. SS7 is the channel used by the
  • 00:12:34
    public switch telephone network the PSDN
  • 00:12:38
    to control phone functions like dialing,
  • 00:12:40
    forwarding and texting. It is basically
  • 00:12:43
    the language used to initiate phone and
  • 00:12:45
    texting traffic. But your phone can
  • 00:12:48
    secretly receive control messages as
  • 00:12:51
    made known by the SIMJER hack. And this
  • 00:12:54
    can activate an interface on your SIM
  • 00:12:56
    card that can do things like intercept a
  • 00:12:59
    call and text or initiate a call and
  • 00:13:01
    text. Just in general, this attack is
  • 00:13:04
    focused on phone related functions and
  • 00:13:06
    is not really connected to intercepting
  • 00:13:08
    your internet traffic or accessing your
  • 00:13:11
    files. Some things this threat can be
  • 00:13:13
    used for is to turn your phone on to
  • 00:13:15
    call someone without your knowledge.
  • 00:13:17
    Obviously, this turns on the microphone
  • 00:13:19
    and thus allows someone to listen in.
  • 00:13:22
    The commands to the phone are sent with
  • 00:13:23
    silent text over SS7, so there is no
  • 00:13:26
    indication that it has occurred. The
  • 00:13:29
    other threat here is that someone can
  • 00:13:31
    use this to intercept text messages,
  • 00:13:34
    which obviously can be problematic for
  • 00:13:36
    two-factor authentication. Someone could
  • 00:13:38
    control your bank accounts and social
  • 00:13:40
    media accounts. This way, the attacker
  • 00:13:42
    could also query your device for the
  • 00:13:45
    nearest towers. So, your location could
  • 00:13:47
    be approximated with tower
  • 00:13:49
    triangulation. Not super precise, but
  • 00:13:52
    could be useful for general
  • 00:13:54
    surveillance. The attacker has to know
  • 00:13:56
    your number to perform this attack. And
  • 00:13:58
    generally, this attack is not at the
  • 00:14:00
    skill set of the average hacker because
  • 00:14:02
    of authentication requirements to SS7. I
  • 00:14:06
    would expect that credentials from a
  • 00:14:08
    carrier employee or government access
  • 00:14:11
    would be required.
  • 00:14:13
    There are some theoretical attacks made
  • 00:14:15
    on the bassband modem itself to see if
  • 00:14:18
    it can be used to access the main OS,
  • 00:14:21
    meaning iOS and Android. I read in one
  • 00:14:23
    case where someone transferred a file to
  • 00:14:25
    the phone with a Samsung Exynos SOC. So,
  • 00:14:29
    this could be an advanced way to
  • 00:14:31
    transfer malware that has some zero
  • 00:14:34
    days. This is possible because the main
  • 00:14:36
    OS and the modem share memory and the
  • 00:14:38
    main OS interacts with the modem OS to
  • 00:14:41
    make calls. So there could be triggers
  • 00:14:43
    for the action. Another threat in my
  • 00:14:46
    mind is that some parts of the bassband
  • 00:14:49
    modem could receive custom code often
  • 00:14:51
    referred to in embedded systems as FPGA.
  • 00:14:55
    Some of you may have experienced the
  • 00:14:58
    automatic overthe-air OTAA update of
  • 00:15:01
    your phone modem with a carrier update.
  • 00:15:05
    Since this could load new software on
  • 00:15:07
    the phone, it could possibly be a vector
  • 00:15:10
    for introducing spyware at the modem
  • 00:15:12
    level and can be used to attract people
  • 00:15:14
    who approach certain sites like the NSA
  • 00:15:17
    site in Fort Me.
  • 00:15:21
    Supply chain attack.
  • 00:15:24
    There's another level of vulnerability
  • 00:15:26
    on a phone that is possible. Though
  • 00:15:28
    discovering these kinds of attacks may
  • 00:15:30
    be quite difficult. Phones even those we
  • 00:15:34
    classify as open source such as those
  • 00:15:36
    using Android open source project still
  • 00:15:38
    has programming that is not visible to
  • 00:15:40
    us. This is referred to as closed source
  • 00:15:44
    blobs meaning they are executable
  • 00:15:46
    binaries and we don't know what's in
  • 00:15:48
    them. A big source of these are device
  • 00:15:51
    drivers from Broadcom or device drivers
  • 00:15:53
    for cameras, sensors, power management,
  • 00:15:55
    and so on that do not come from Linux
  • 00:15:58
    itself. On an Android phone, these would
  • 00:16:01
    be files found in vendor system or
  • 00:16:04
    system liv 64.
  • 00:16:06
    Here's a theoretical example. Let's say
  • 00:16:09
    that the manufacturer of the camera
  • 00:16:11
    module modified the driver so that a
  • 00:16:14
    live shot could be monitored on the
  • 00:16:16
    phone by an external party.
  • 00:16:19
    likely the device driver for the camera
  • 00:16:21
    is close source and we don't know who
  • 00:16:23
    made the device driver. But if a device
  • 00:16:26
    driver is made to capture camera images,
  • 00:16:29
    then there is a feature in Linux that is
  • 00:16:31
    built into phones called SE Linux. This
  • 00:16:34
    means that each process has to be
  • 00:16:36
    assigned allowable behaviors by the
  • 00:16:39
    builder of the phone OS. For example, if
  • 00:16:42
    the camera driver is connecting to the
  • 00:16:44
    internet by itself, then SE Linux would
  • 00:16:47
    be the way to stop that since a camera
  • 00:16:50
    driver would not normally be given
  • 00:16:52
    internet rights or network rights. Now,
  • 00:16:54
    it is possible that someone modifying SE
  • 00:16:57
    Linux policies may screw up here, but
  • 00:16:59
    since SE Linux is outside of the control
  • 00:17:02
    of the driver programmer, then it would
  • 00:17:04
    be a long shot to get such a threat
  • 00:17:07
    activated. However, if some camera
  • 00:17:09
    driver interacts directly with the
  • 00:17:10
    network driver using secret
  • 00:17:12
    communications, then the collusion
  • 00:17:13
    between the two may not be within the
  • 00:17:15
    scope of what SE Linux can control in
  • 00:17:18
    its security policies. So, I state this
  • 00:17:21
    as a possibility and we should be on
  • 00:17:24
    guard that this could be an avenue for a
  • 00:17:26
    zero day. The other potential source of
  • 00:17:29
    threats is if someone embedded an
  • 00:17:31
    engineer at Qualcomm, MediaTek, Samsung
  • 00:17:34
    or TSMC to inject hardwarebased
  • 00:17:38
    functionality. These kinds of threats
  • 00:17:40
    are generally known as hardware supply
  • 00:17:42
    chain attacks. And the problem is that
  • 00:17:44
    they are very hard to discover inside
  • 00:17:47
    complex SOC's or even device drivers.
  • 00:17:50
    Now, some cocky custom ROM OS maker will
  • 00:17:52
    likely claim that their OS is
  • 00:17:54
    invulnerable. And with some of these
  • 00:17:56
    threats I mentioned, it becomes clear
  • 00:17:58
    that it is impossible to guarantee a
  • 00:18:01
    completely safe phone. Supply chain
  • 00:18:03
    attacks are, in my opinion, at the level
  • 00:18:06
    of three-letter agencies and embedded
  • 00:18:08
    engineering spies. There's already a
  • 00:18:11
    history of this having been done,
  • 00:18:13
    particularly on router equipment from
  • 00:18:15
    Cisco and others. This is something that
  • 00:18:18
    would be used very sparingly to keep it
  • 00:18:20
    a secret and likely reserved for high
  • 00:18:24
    value targets.
  • 00:18:27
    MZ catcher attack.
  • 00:18:30
    An old favorite attack was the use of
  • 00:18:32
    the stingray device which is just
  • 00:18:34
    generally called an MZ catcher. This is
  • 00:18:37
    a radiobased attack and is basically a
  • 00:18:40
    man-in-the-middle method of intercepting
  • 00:18:42
    your cell traffic. In theory, this
  • 00:18:44
    attack is well documented enough that
  • 00:18:47
    even hackers can use it to some extent.
  • 00:18:50
    However, personally, I think this is no
  • 00:18:52
    longer as important to use for law
  • 00:18:54
    enforcement purposes. Mostly, it is used
  • 00:18:56
    to wiretap someone and listen in to
  • 00:18:59
    conversations if you didn't know the
  • 00:19:01
    phone numbers of the parties. But if you
  • 00:19:04
    know the phone number, law enforcement
  • 00:19:06
    can just wiretap the number directly
  • 00:19:08
    from a browser over the internet. They
  • 00:19:10
    don't even need to be present. This is
  • 00:19:13
    because of the Kalia law, but this is
  • 00:19:16
    useful to know who's gathered at a
  • 00:19:18
    particular location. This device can run
  • 00:19:21
    in passive mode and just record images
  • 00:19:23
    of devices in the area and thus is a
  • 00:19:26
    proximity sensor. You can sense who's
  • 00:19:28
    near a particular location, which is
  • 00:19:31
    really geoencing. Again, this has been
  • 00:19:34
    replaced by an easier tool like Fog Data
  • 00:19:36
    Science, Anomaly 6, or the Google Sensor
  • 00:19:40
    Vault. All of which are heavily used by
  • 00:19:42
    law enforcement and have been used in
  • 00:19:44
    court cases.
  • 00:19:47
    What is the real life risk? Knock and
  • 00:19:50
    wood, my phones have never been hacked
  • 00:19:53
    and I'm of course a targeted person,
  • 00:19:56
    though typically I'm targeted by
  • 00:19:57
    hackers, not state level operatives. So
  • 00:20:01
    certain things I do must make me less
  • 00:20:03
    vulnerable to an attack. But on the
  • 00:20:06
    other hand, as I said, the bulk of the
  • 00:20:08
    attacks you see are from state sponsored
  • 00:20:10
    hackers, and I'm not that kind of
  • 00:20:12
    threat. The main lifestyle difference
  • 00:20:15
    that protects me is that I've learned to
  • 00:20:19
    not put much of my data on the phone.
  • 00:20:21
    Photos on my phone are recent, and then
  • 00:20:24
    I transfer them to my backup server,
  • 00:20:26
    which is Synology.
  • 00:20:28
    I not only limit the apps I use, but I
  • 00:20:31
    have a long-standing policy of not
  • 00:20:33
    opening attachments. As you all have
  • 00:20:36
    heard, the new phone technologies are
  • 00:20:38
    focusing on AI and the AI companion. And
  • 00:20:41
    the main feature of these new operating
  • 00:20:43
    systems is to see what you see. Apple
  • 00:20:47
    and Google both currently do client side
  • 00:20:49
    scanning to capture what you're doing on
  • 00:20:51
    screen, and Microsoft is doing the same
  • 00:20:53
    on a Windows PC. Fortunately,
  • 00:20:56
    open-source oss do not have this kind of
  • 00:20:59
    AI or AI agents that analyze your
  • 00:21:02
    content. So if someone physically takes
  • 00:21:05
    my phone, this kind of historical
  • 00:21:07
    information will not be on it. The
  • 00:21:09
    biggest risk to most people is from
  • 00:21:11
    physical access to the phone and the
  • 00:21:14
    threat is then either using government
  • 00:21:16
    tools like gray key to brute force a pin
  • 00:21:18
    code or your ex knowing your pin code.
  • 00:21:21
    Once someone unlocks your phone, then
  • 00:21:24
    all hell can break loose. But government
  • 00:21:26
    access aside with simpler protections
  • 00:21:29
    like using fingerprint or just being
  • 00:21:31
    aware of who can access your phone is
  • 00:21:33
    enough to prevent attacks. Having given
  • 00:21:36
    you all the security issues with phones,
  • 00:21:38
    it is crazy to be obsessing with all
  • 00:21:41
    this as some people do while ignoring
  • 00:21:44
    the main issue which is affecting 99% of
  • 00:21:47
    all people and that is having Apple,
  • 00:21:50
    Google, Facebook and others have
  • 00:21:52
    complete access to all your data. It is
  • 00:21:54
    not even important to look at your phone
  • 00:21:56
    as they already have your data remotely
  • 00:21:59
    or at least a profile of your data. And
  • 00:22:02
    this is why I focus on the privacy issue
  • 00:22:04
    more because it is more pressing. Only a
  • 00:22:07
    fraction of 1% of you may experience a
  • 00:22:10
    security attack. But 99% of you are
  • 00:22:13
    already subject to a privacy attack.
  • 00:22:16
    When I push you to use open-source
  • 00:22:18
    phones, I know that it really eliminates
  • 00:22:21
    you from being in the 99%. You will be
  • 00:22:24
    in the 1% of people safe from privacy
  • 00:22:28
    issues. Then at that point, working on
  • 00:22:30
    security issues makes you feel more
  • 00:22:32
    secure, and it is icing on the cake.
  • 00:22:36
    So, please put my teachings here in
  • 00:22:38
    balance. A good number of you claim that
  • 00:22:41
    you've been hacked, but to be honest
  • 00:22:43
    with you, you may not know you're hacked
  • 00:22:46
    until someone actually shows you
  • 00:22:48
    information that they've acquired from
  • 00:22:50
    you.
  • 00:22:52
    And don't assume that the information
  • 00:22:54
    came from your phone. It could have come
  • 00:22:57
    from the internet. But I'm 100% certain
  • 00:23:00
    that big tech already has a ton of your
  • 00:23:03
    data. In a follow-up video, I will go
  • 00:23:06
    deeper into some of the issues I
  • 00:23:08
    outlined here using my Bra 3 partner
  • 00:23:11
    Dominic Gingris as a resource. He has a
  • 00:23:14
    long history of building secure phones
  • 00:23:16
    mostly for governments and we can learn
  • 00:23:19
    some of the challenges of hardening a
  • 00:23:21
    phone against attacks.
  • 00:23:28
    Folks, while other channels sustain
  • 00:23:30
    themselves via sponsorships, we are
  • 00:23:32
    actively funded directly by this
  • 00:23:34
    community, hopefully one that benefits
  • 00:23:37
    directly from the education we provide.
  • 00:23:40
    Thank you to those who provide donations
  • 00:23:42
    to us through Patreon, locals, and
  • 00:23:45
    YouTube memberships.
  • 00:23:47
    Our long run approach is just to offer
  • 00:23:50
    services and compete in the open market
  • 00:23:53
    to generate your trust and patronage.
  • 00:23:55
    This makes me feel like I'm always
  • 00:23:57
    offering you value rather than feel like
  • 00:24:00
    I'm begging.
  • 00:24:02
    For those interested in the BRA 3
  • 00:24:04
    project that is handled by the site
  • 00:24:06
    bratech.net and you can see the current
  • 00:24:09
    status of the project there which
  • 00:24:11
    currently started shipping. We have
  • 00:24:13
    other products that you will find on our
  • 00:24:16
    community area on Brax.
  • 00:24:18
    There are over 120,000 users that are
  • 00:24:22
    part of our community and that discuss
  • 00:24:24
    security and privacy issues in a safe
  • 00:24:26
    environment. Many of you believe in us
  • 00:24:29
    and so this community is growing. Some
  • 00:24:32
    have been involved for more than 10
  • 00:24:33
    years. In our store there you will find
  • 00:24:36
    products like the Google phones, Brax
  • 00:24:38
    virtual phone, BrakesVPN
  • 00:24:41
    and Bra router. These are an essential
  • 00:24:44
    base to building your personal privacy
  • 00:24:46
    and of course support the creation of
  • 00:24:48
    content on this channel. Thank you for
  • 00:24:50
    watching and see you next time.
  • 00:24:55
    [Music]
Tag
  • mobile security
  • privacy
  • open-source phones
  • data extraction
  • surveillance
  • biometric security
  • Pegasus attack
  • physical access
  • remote hacking
  • security threats