Google recently announced the addition of 16 new security features to ensure the protection of Android devices. These features will be available in the platform settings under the name “Advanced Protection“. The advanced Protection mode includes a range of optional security mechanisms aimed at enhancing safety and preventing risks such as device compromise and targeted attacks on users.
The new security mechanisms offered in the Advanced Protection mode include automatic rebooting of the smartphone after 3 days of inactivity, protection against attacks through USB connections, and backup copying for forensic analysis in the event of a hack.
The Advanced Protection mode includes the following security mechanisms:
- Protection in case of theft, confiscation, or unauthorized physical access to the device. This includes automatic device rebooting if the screen remains locked for more than 3 days, limiting data transfer through USB connections when the screen is locked, and automatic device locking in case of suspected theft or prolonged offline usage.
- Incident analysis, which involves backing up system logs to the Google cloud. These encrypted logs are only accessible to the device user and can simplify forensic analysis in case of compromise or hacking, preventing attackers from erasing their traces by clearing logs on the device.
- Protection against application vulnerabilities and malicious software. This includes leveraging the hardware-based protection mechanism Memtag (MTE) found in ARMV8.5-A architecture chips, using Google Play Protect to scan for harmful code, and restricting the installation of unknown applications to only those from official app stores pre-installed on the device.
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