Google is working on a security feature to disable USB data access
Google might introduce a brand-new feature to its operating system. To enhance your smartphone’s security, it will most likely roll out an option to disable data access via USB, making it harder for criminals to exfiltrate personal information from your device.
By Cybernews.
Google might introduce a brand-new feature to its operating system. To enhance your smartphone’s security, it will most likely roll out an option to disable data access via USB, making it harder for criminals to exfiltrate personal information from your device.
Android Authority, which dug into the source code of Android 16 Beta 4, says it found references to a feature in the operating system’s source code that can disable the USB port of a locked Android phone.
When enabled, the USB connector can then only be used for charging the device, and no data connection will be established. With this new feature, Google wants to thwart criminals from installing malware on your device via the USB port to extract data and bypass the lock screen.
This might sound insane, but this actually happens. Amnesty International’s Security Lab recently documented a zero-day USB driver exploit that was used to break into the phone of a student activist in Serbia. The best way to protect your device from these kinds of attacks is to disable the data connection feature that USB offers.
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According to Android Authority, Google introduced an API for disabling USB data signaling. This feature was primarily used by IT employees who manage enterprise devices. But now, Google might consider making it publicly available with the launch of Android 16.
Disabling USB data access when your Android phone is locked will probably be part of Google’s Advanced Protection Mode (APM).
This feature will, amongst other things, prevent you from installing apps outside the official Google Play Store (sideloading), block WEP connections, and disable 2G connections to mitigate the risk of users being tricked into connecting to rogue 2G networks designed for surveillance.
Recently, Google officially introduced a security feature that will reboot Android devices if they remain locked for three consecutive days, making it harder for attackers to access your data.