SnoopSnitch: How To Check The Security Of Your Device

Table of Contents

SnoopSnitch Introduction

Presenting the extraordinary application SnoopSnitch to check step-by-step instructions which security patches are absent on your Android gadgets. Among the gadgets in light of the green robot, those with a place with the Android One program might offer more special certifications according to the safety perspective from a somewhat expansive transient point of view.

Buying Android One gadgets qualifies you to get two years of updates from the maker and a time of safety refreshes from Google. The date taken as a source of perspective, beginning from which the whole 3 years of help are determined, is that of the send-off of the Android One cell phone, not that of the buy by every client.

Notwithstanding Google’s consistent “updates” (see Google forces a commitment on Android cell phone producers to deliver constant updates ), a few makers proceed to “forsake their destiny” medium-low-end Android cell phone models by failing to convey refreshes (even those connected with security issues) after a somewhat restricted measure of time. Particularly with gadgets not refreshed by their separate makers, the main outlet is to move up to a more up-to-date, though informal, generally preferred custom ROM: Android update; how would you do it when it appears to be incomprehensible?

In this manner, you will want to keep getting the security patches for Android if there are no true framework refreshes. In addition to other things, it is a decent way to try not to “discard” (read WEEE) gadgets that carry out their roles well overall and impeccably line up with one’s requirements. The security issue likewise exists in Android and can’t be disregarded. The gamble is uncovering your gadget and its put-away information to remote assaults. We likewise examined Android antivirus in the article: no, it’s not pointless.

How To Check The Status Of Your Android Device With SnoopSnitch

Try to go to the Android settings, choose System, Advanced, then About the phone or tablet, and finally, look for the Android security patch level item. On Android One devices, go to settings, choose System, About phone, or About tablet, then tap the Android version (check what appears next to Android security patch level ).

It is also true that, especially in the case of “non-Android One” devices, some manufacturers usually apply some security patches and not others: we discussed this issue in the article. Android device manufacturers need to remember to distribute some patches, even on the most up-to-date devices. With Android 10, everything changes because users no longer have to wait for “the comforts” of individual manufacturers.

As communicated by Google, the most important patches are distributed through Play Services, thanks to Project Mainline. In other words, the Mountain View company has the right to force the distribution and installation of updates deemed essential for security: with Android 10, there is no need to wait for individual manufacturers to release firmware updates, which – often – does not happen.

The new update mechanism prepared by Google allows you to intervene in some of the areas of Android that are crucial for its correct functioning and targeted by malicious code. To learn more about the topic, you can install the free Android app SnoopSnitch: created by the Germans of Security Research Labs, and it allows you to check the status of the updates on your Android device by checking those that may have been missing.

Using SnoopSnitch is very simple

After installing the app, tap the button at the top of the screen and press Start Test. As seen in the figure, here we are dealing with a device that uses the latest Android update (it happens to be an Android One device) and does not suffer from any vulnerabilities on the operating system side. Below, however, is an updated device with a third-party ROM: although the situation is not bad, Android still lacks a security patch considered important.

Scrolling through the list and tapping the corresponding button, you will obtain the corresponding CVE ( Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures ) identifier, which, if searched on the web, will allow you to establish what the security problem refers to (and possibly also how to limit the effects of the bug in if you can’t fix it in the short term by installing a newer version of Android).

Conclusion: SnoopSnitch

The application – but only on rooted Android devices – can also collect and analyze data from mobile phone networks to inform users about the level of intrinsic security and warn about the possible use of fake base stations (IMSI catchers; we already talked about it in 2014: Intercepting mobile phone calls: crackdown by the FCC ), user monitoring activities and SS7 attacks.