Can Apps Share Data Back n Forth on GrapheneOS? : privacy

[–] cogitoprinciple@lemmy.world 22 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I don't know if Google Camera would share the information with Sandboxed Google Play. However, something to be careful of, is if you have two apps by the same developer (Google in this case), and you have network permissions for only one of them. The developer could share those permissions with their other app. TheHatedOne did a podcast episode on this. He checked with a GrapheneOS developer beforehand, and found, that this is possible.

[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

https://source.android.com/docs/security/app-sandbox

[–] jet@hackertalks.com 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Yes. Apps can consensually trade information. So if play services is connected to the network, it can share information it receives from other apps.

The only way to isolate an app from communicating is to put it in its own profile either a work profile or a secondary user.

Simply disabling network access does not prevent the app from talking to other apps that do have network access. You need to be careful based on your threat model

[–] random65837@lemmy.world -1 points 9 months ago

No, one, you've firewalled the camera, second, the play services on Graphene are userland apps, theirs no special privilege there, and theres the hardened sandboxing on top of that.

While there are legitimate ways for apps to share even in the sandboxed environment (there needs to be for phones to work correctly) you can see those permissions in the apps and also must grant them. Remember, the biggest threat is in a normal situation where the play services have root access, which isn't the case with Graphene. Surprisingly enough, most of the Google apps have minimal permissions and usually near no trackers other than analytics that most are blocking by default with DNS anyways.

[+] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip -8 points 9 months ago (3 children)

This is why I don't like Graphene os. Its encourages using proprietary apps that over Foss. With a Foss camera app from F-droid you don't need play services and the app with do exactly what its meant to do, nothing more.

[–] Gooey0210@sh.itjust.works 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

There's gos' camera already preinstalled, no need to download anything 🫣

They discourage fdroid because it's not very secure, until it ever gets better

There's the secure Accrescent, but it has almost no apps in it

(Yeah, but actually you can just use obtainium, this is probably the future)

[–] VolunTerry@monero.town 4 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (4 children)

I'd like to see some evidence that F-Droid is less secure (or privacy respecting) than using the big Gs playstore or services, which many, if not most, playstore apps depend on to function.

I mean this sincerely and respectfully. I'd love to look onto it.

Because in my current opinion and approach, if you vet your apps and practice good digital hygiene, then FOSS>GOOGL/Alphabet for nearly everything from a privacy and security perspective.

Edit: if I misunderstood and you were saying don't use G playstore or Aurora AND don't use F-Droid, then may I ask where are you getting your apps, other than directly from the devs page or github and so on?

[–] techognito@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago (2 children)

There is an app called Obtainium. This allows downloading signed apps directly from source

[–] VolunTerry@monero.town 3 points 9 months ago

Thanks!

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

For that to work you need to know the app exists first. I also like to look at F-droids anti feature list.

[–] VolunTerry@monero.town 2 points 9 months ago

Me too, but good to know I can check that at F-Droid and then fetch from source if I want. Best of both.

[–] driveway@lemmy.zip 2 points 9 months ago

All apps on Fdroid are built and signed by Fdroid devs which gives them infinite power. If you trust them completely, go ahead and use it.

[–] Gooey0210@sh.itjust.works 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I'm a little bit too late 🤪

I personally don't use anything of google, browsing and trying apps from fdroid, and have obtainium for the ones I usually use

But Graphene's approach is all about security, and privacy only after it So they recommend the most secure options first, and don't recommend minor options So, their current opinion on fdroid that it's less secure than googlag's store, so a more secure option would be googlag, or that second store that has 3 apps in it

But it's for "marketplace" apps, so obtainium not in the scope, but kinda should be (we just need to rethink where we get our apps from)

[–] VolunTerry@monero.town 1 points 9 months ago

Good points and makes sense to me. Thanks.

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