Hardening Android

These mitigations to common mobile threats are kept as simple as possible, with tools found in most Androids and online.

Other things are harder to cover. For example, each manufacturer has its own privacy settings somewhere, and there is a growing number of alternative apps that do not report everything you do to Google.

Accounts and authentication

• Introduction
• Changing the SIM PIN
• Setting a password or PIN screen lock and a timeout
• Keeping notifications off the lock screen

Services and applications

• Introduction
• Application stores
• Researching before installing apps
• Unwanted apps list
• Removing unwanted apps
• Browsers that protect your privacy
• Changing default apps
• Using more secure messaging services
• Using more secure email services
• Using SSH tunnels
• Using VPN services
• Using Tor proxies
• Changing MAC address
• Editing hosts file

Data

• Introduction
• Encrypting SD cards

Privacy

• Introduction
• Turning off diagnostics
• Putting the kibosh on Autofill with Google
• Shutting down location history
• Revoking the prying big eyed activity controls
• Terminating ad personalisation
• Privacy focused Android alternatives

Malware

• Introduction
• Threat awareness
• Installing an anti malware app
• Finding the culprit and removing it
• Ransomware

Operations security

• Introduction
• Threat awareness
• Not getting juice-jacked
• Not auto-joining Wi-Fi networks
• Using email more securely
• Browsing more safely
• Measuring Internet Censorship
• ‘;–have i been pwned?

Guards! Guards!

• Introduction
• Firewall No Root
• NetGuard