Security is never too much. Google has decided to put an end to data theft and boost security in its huge ecosystem in which Android 14 will occupy a key position. The company announced which will add a smartphone security “first of its kind” to its next major Android release. It will protect your Internet voice, text and data from being intercepted by intruders. Let's see together how it will do.
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Android 14 will disable 2G connection
One of the vulnerable factors are the 2G networks, first implemented in 1991. The standard does not require mutual authentication, meaning the phone cannot verify that it is connected to a real cell tower. Fraudsters take advantage of this running base station emulators like Stingray or IMSI Catcher. They are also capable of forcing nearby devices to switch to 2G, even if more modern communication standards are nearby.
After the interception, the owner of the emulator gains access to confidential information (unique identifiers of nearby phones, call metadata) and, in some cases, the content of text messages and voice calls. Therefore, in Android 14, all Radio HAL 1.6+ compliant smartphones will receive an option to disable the 2G connection. Owners of the latest generations of Pixel smartphones are already familiar with this feature. It is located in the section "Settings" > "Network and Internet" > "SIM card" > "Allow 2G".
2G will remain as a backup communication channel, but only for calls to emergency services.
Encryption only
It is known that some cellular networks still use the cipher null, an outdated form of encryption that does not protect data in transit between the phone and the base station. In addition, the aforementioned Stingray can trick user devices: it tells them that encryption is not supported by the network.
Android 14 will have an option to disable null encryption connections at the modem level. But its implementation in real gadgets depends on the manufacturers. In general, Google experts argue that the Android security model by default treats all networks and their components as hostile. Therefore, the operating system does not use that channel, but terminal encryption of network traffic. In the first case, each participant in the data transfer decrypts the incoming stream; In the second, only the final recipient has access to the information.
Satellite connection on Android 14
In the fall of 2022, Hiroshi Lockheimer, vice president of Android development at Google, said that the fourteenth version of the “green robot” will receive native support for the connectivity satellite. As it is then known from internal sources, the owners of some devices based on Android 14 with particular equipment will be able send SMS messages via satellites.
