I have a new project I want to start, and I will probably need some help.
I am concerned with Android's download policy. It is way too easy to download something malicious. There is no prompt confirming you want to download something, it just begins once you click on a link to a downloadable file, or open an app. Downloads can also be triggered in many other ways, all of which provide no confirmation prompt. It has been proven at several blackhat conferences over the past few months that certain parts of the Android download system can be compromised in such a way that apps can be downloaded, installed, and activated with virtually no user interaction beyond visiting an app window or a webpage. This can result in all sorts of harmful behaviors, such as mms being sent to a premium number, or phone calls being placed to premium service numbers, data being mined, etc.
While many may argue this simple download system is desired, I believe it is way to dangerous. I propose adding a confirmation prompt to all downloads. A setting can be added to override this prompt behavior for those who like to live dangerously.
To begin, I used grep to find all instances of the term "download" in the source code and pasted the results here:
Grep--download - Pastebin.com. There are other terms that should be searched for as well, this is just a begining point.
Step 1 - determine which files need to be addressed
Step 2 - determine which point in the process it would be best to insert a prompt
Step 3 - determine the best methodology to provide additional security without compromising functionality
Step 4 - test, retest, test some more
Step 5 - submit for public scrutiny
Step 6 - make changes and test again
Step 7 - push to the AOSP source tree
If you would be interested in helping with this project, please indicate so in this thread, I will provide more details as to a project location etc as this progresses.
Thanks for any help offered!
Note- I've
cross posted at XDA, since this affects all Android devices.