For a while now, we’ve seen Android working hard to try and get its security in check and ensure users are safe at all times.
Ever since its initial release, we saw Google putting out a long list of features that were designed to keep people safe from the growing figure of malware. This includes touching those areas where a lot of people may not have too much control such as traffic arising from cellular networks.
And due to things like this, Google will now be launching some more cellular security enhancements for Android that are designed to keep consumers protected, alongside enterprise users as well.
So many wireless firms started to shift a lot of their networks toward 5G. Plenty of resources were up for grabs to ensure better use and that meant closing older 2G networks which are no longer in use today.
A lot of wireless carriers have vowed to shut down networks over a span of 10 years and while that happens to be rare, it’s so much easier to connect to 2G networks easily.
As one person could imagine, 2G networks are not too big on security advancements, when you compare them against the likes of 4G and 5G.
Since 2G networks are less safe than others, they’re deemed to be similar to attack points. Hence, there are some methods that could be used to downgrade smartphones through automated means and carry out the most malicious attacks in terms of performance.
This is now possible as 2G networks don’t require mutual authentication. So they would enable data decryption across networks. But keeping all of this on the side, Google has not turned a blind eye to Android.
The goal now is to make all devices so much more safe for all to use and the news was recently published today in Google’s Security Blog.
Some of the latest features on this front include disabling 2G, deriving enhanced protection against such attacks, and more. In the past, it was rolled out just for Android 12 but now, it’s up for grabs on all devices of Android.
And when we talk about the latest Android 14, you’ll see such an expansion be further rolled out so that enterprise users can better manage their phones and bar the device’s capability to undergo downgrades to a 2G connectivity. And as you can imagine, it would assist in providing more security and protection against any attack.
This is certainly true for those that travel to destinations deemed to be high-risk. We can see how this would serve as an integral protection feature for users’ data as well.
Similarly, Google adds how admin members would keep a check on the managed devices while the audit logging feature can ensure tracking of more than 80 events and over hundreds of management controls.
Google even delineated about another feature coming to Android 14 that would ensure the protection of SMS traffic. While it’s mostly taken care of by your cellular network provider, Android 14 may soon roll out options for zero support of connections designated as null-ciphered.
Hence, you no longer have to worry about unencrypted networks after this. Moreover, the firm feels such a feature would be a hit for firms in the next couple of years because of how many benefits it brings in terms of security and privacy of user data.
Google vows to work alongside other partners to better network security in the future.
But we’re still waiting on the release of Android 14 which is scheduled for this year, toward the end. The company opts to stay awfully discreet about what would come next and we’re hearing more on this front about Pixel 8 and 8 Pro.
Read next: Google's Text Chats Get a Shield: End-to-End Encryption!
Ever since its initial release, we saw Google putting out a long list of features that were designed to keep people safe from the growing figure of malware. This includes touching those areas where a lot of people may not have too much control such as traffic arising from cellular networks.
And due to things like this, Google will now be launching some more cellular security enhancements for Android that are designed to keep consumers protected, alongside enterprise users as well.
So many wireless firms started to shift a lot of their networks toward 5G. Plenty of resources were up for grabs to ensure better use and that meant closing older 2G networks which are no longer in use today.
A lot of wireless carriers have vowed to shut down networks over a span of 10 years and while that happens to be rare, it’s so much easier to connect to 2G networks easily.
As one person could imagine, 2G networks are not too big on security advancements, when you compare them against the likes of 4G and 5G.
Since 2G networks are less safe than others, they’re deemed to be similar to attack points. Hence, there are some methods that could be used to downgrade smartphones through automated means and carry out the most malicious attacks in terms of performance.
This is now possible as 2G networks don’t require mutual authentication. So they would enable data decryption across networks. But keeping all of this on the side, Google has not turned a blind eye to Android.
The goal now is to make all devices so much more safe for all to use and the news was recently published today in Google’s Security Blog.
Some of the latest features on this front include disabling 2G, deriving enhanced protection against such attacks, and more. In the past, it was rolled out just for Android 12 but now, it’s up for grabs on all devices of Android.
And when we talk about the latest Android 14, you’ll see such an expansion be further rolled out so that enterprise users can better manage their phones and bar the device’s capability to undergo downgrades to a 2G connectivity. And as you can imagine, it would assist in providing more security and protection against any attack.
This is certainly true for those that travel to destinations deemed to be high-risk. We can see how this would serve as an integral protection feature for users’ data as well.
Similarly, Google adds how admin members would keep a check on the managed devices while the audit logging feature can ensure tracking of more than 80 events and over hundreds of management controls.
Google even delineated about another feature coming to Android 14 that would ensure the protection of SMS traffic. While it’s mostly taken care of by your cellular network provider, Android 14 may soon roll out options for zero support of connections designated as null-ciphered.
Hence, you no longer have to worry about unencrypted networks after this. Moreover, the firm feels such a feature would be a hit for firms in the next couple of years because of how many benefits it brings in terms of security and privacy of user data.
Google vows to work alongside other partners to better network security in the future.
But we’re still waiting on the release of Android 14 which is scheduled for this year, toward the end. The company opts to stay awfully discreet about what would come next and we’re hearing more on this front about Pixel 8 and 8 Pro.
Read next: Google's Text Chats Get a Shield: End-to-End Encryption!
