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Mar 14, 2020

Google is really playing a bad game. However, as this is clearly an abuse of dominant position (80% of the mobile market with ##Android) this is clearly the best path for their dismantlement.

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Christine Hall

@BrideOfLinux

Mar 14, 2020

This sucks: Some apps may stop working on rooted Android phones due to SafetyNet update buff.ly/2TZOeHR

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Those apps are choosing to depend on Play Services and use SafetyNet attestation to verify that it's a certified release without tampering. The issue is ultimately apps choosing to do that not Google improving SafetyNet attestation to make it less trivial for attackers to bypass.

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Those apps could also use hardware-based attestation directly, which doesn't require Play Services and would provide them with a higher level of assurance. Auditor uses hardware-based attestation to provide security verification / monitoring to users: attestation.app/about.

attestation.app

Auditor overview

Overview of the Auditor Android app and associated service.

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Say this to major app publishers...

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I don't use any of those apps, so I'm not sure why you expect me to do something about it. If the users of those apps want them to work without Play Services and on other operating systems, they should push for it. Same goes for apps implementing DRM with attestation features.

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If apps insist on implementing DRM, they could whitelist other operating systems if they used the hardware-based attestation directly. They would get stronger assurance and portability. If users push for it and they decide to whitelist GrapheneOS, great, but I won't push for it.

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I doubt that banks and financial services are going to stop using attestation. I expect users who want strong anti-cheat for games greatly outnumber those wanting the ability to run them elsewhere. In general, I'd just recommend avoiding those apps and pressuring app developers.

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It's long overdue for Google to make SafetyNet attestation less terrible. They should be fixing it or getting rid of it and directing developers to use AOSP hardware-based attestation directly. Even after this change it's still a far weaker implementation than what AOSP provides.

11:12 PM · Mar 14, 2020Twitter Web App