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Re: Google's remote "kill switch" saving the day against DroidDream. All the kill switch did was remove the horse after the soldiers had already jumped out. Bu
by fluidcruft 16y ago
Re: Google's remote "kill switch" saving the day against DroidDream.
All the kill switch did was remove the horse after the soldiers had already jumped out. But Google got super lucky and was able to also fool these particular soldiers to commit suicide.
On Android phones /system is read only. To make changes there you have to get root--then you can remount /system read-write and make modifications there. DroidDream did that and installed a root shell in /system/bin/profile. To remove the infection, Google used DroidDream's own root shell.
Now imagine DroidDream's /system/bin/profile didn't just accept any old command directed at it by just anybody (perhaps simply using public key cryptography). Could Google have removed from a non-rooted phone?