Looks like any app can be installed silently behind your back with GTalkService that is running on your Android phone https://github.com/CellularPrivacy/Androi

Looks like any app can be installed silently behind your back with GTalkService that is running on your Android phone https://github.com/CellularPrivacy/Android-IMSI-Catcher-Detector/issues/151 https://github.com/CellularPrivacy/Android-IMSI-Catcher-Dete... https://jon.oberheide.org/blog/2010/06/28/a-peek-inside-the-gtalkservice-connection/ https://jon.oberheide.org/blog/2010/06/28/a-peek-inside-the-... --------------------- Google Play Services spyware discussion https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-insanely-better-battery-life-when-idle-battery-life-thread.2357417/page-119 https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-insanely-better-bat... https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/app-disable-service-guide-android-2-2.2455525/ https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/app-disable-service-guide... --------------------- "...the cellular carrier can send blobs of FORTH code right to the radio. The radio firmware also seems to have an IP stack (with TCP) so it can do its own interesting things (both bad and good)..." https://boston.conman.org/2013/01/22.2 https://boston.conman.org/2013/01/22.2 "...easily spotted loads and loads of bugs, scattered all over the place, each and every one of which could lead to exploits – crashing the device, and even allowing the attacker to remotely execute code. Remember: all over the air. One of the exploits he found required nothing more but a 73 byte message to get remote code execution. Over the air..." "... It’s kind of a sobering thought that mobile communications, the cornerstone of the modern world in both developed and developing regions, pivots around software that is of dubious quality, poorly understood, entirely proprietary, and wholly insecure by design." https://www.osnews.com/story/27416/the-second-operating-system-hiding-in-every-mobile-phone/ https://www.osnews.com/story/27416/the-second-operating-syst... (archive: https://archive.is/FOR5V https://archive.is/FOR5V) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6722539 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6722539 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6722732 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6722732 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6722648 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6722648 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6738066 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6738066 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6724034 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6724034 <-- Seems to be higher risk with Qualcomm basebands where everything is integrated ------------------- SIM card reader chips have their own operating system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_card#Design https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_card#Design Rooting SIM cards https://archive.is/3ZohQ https://archive.is/3ZohQ https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6722896 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6722896 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6724215 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6724215 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6723236 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6723236 -------------------