Approximating Faraday Bag

trythis3

Hello experts: Id like to know which settings/setup Id use on my Pixel9 GrapheneOS phone, now that Ive had it over a month, to be able to stop all information transfer to or from the phone, like what would happen if youd place the phone in a correctly mfg Faraday bag/cage. Im talking about being able to shut down/off the phone so completely that its the same as placing in a Faraday bag. If the answer is anything close to "default settings", please remind me what those are exactly, as Ive set the phone up in accord with my best beginning level learning and study, and of course dont remember each of any changes I made from default settings. And I have to much time in creating app settings as well to want to wipe the phone to get back to all defaults.
So does anyone kno for a fact how to get as close to Faraday protection, for when phone is off, by way of settings, etc and NOT actually using a Faraday bag/cage?
Thanks-

edent

trythis3 What are you trying to accomplish?

You can turn on aeroplane mode. That will turn off all the radios - cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth. You can also switch off NFC.

That will stop any data transmission from your device.

lackofhumor

trythis3

If you go to Settings -> Location -> Location Services and turn everything off, plus Airplane mode (making sure Network, WiFi and Bluetooth go off) plus NFC disabled, you should achieve the equivalent of a faraday cage.

Keep in mind that this is the equivalent of disrupting every communication from/to the smartphone, but not the equivalent of putting your device in a tempest proof box.

For that, as already suggested, just turn off your device.

trythis3

edent Im trying to stop ALL communications, ie radio wave, any data sent, etc etc, to and from the phone, like whats possible when you put it in a Faraday bag. I kno that on eg iPhones, shutting the phone off doesnt mean that all communication is impossible. Theres still info being sent out to towers or to other devices. And UpPhone claims that their special cut-off switch disconnects the battery from the rest of the phone to prevent this sort of info/data/radiowave transferring. Id like to know how, using settings, apps, etc, to get as close as possible to this silence on the Graphene phone, to get it as close as possible to placing it in the Farady bag, w/out placing in a Faraday bag.

de0u

trythis3 I kno that on eg iPhones, shutting the phone off doesnt mean that all communication is impossible. Theres still info being sent out to towers or to other devices.

The forum moderators have expressed a dislike for unfounded alarmist claims. There are certainly many baseless claims online about cellular activity from iPhones that are off, but if a claim with credible support is available, presenting it would be good.

For sure iPhones support Bluetooth Low Energy beaconing while pretending to be off (source). But those are not the same thing.

de0u

trythis3 Id like to know how, using settings, apps, etc, to get as close as possible to this silence on the Graphene phone, to get it as close as possible to placing it in the Farady bag, w/out placing in a Faraday bag.

Press and hold the power button until the menu pops up, then choose "Power off", then don't press the power button again.

de0u

trythis3 In an attempt to forestall potential fears about BLE beaconing while "off": https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/12148-will-aosp-include-bluetooth-transmission-even-when-the-phone-is-powered-off

DeletedUser550

trythis3 Id like to know how, using settings, apps, etc,

An app, are you serious, GrapheneOS already does what you want, or is that too many finger taps for you.

trythis3

de0u So youre saying that turning the phone off normally is as close as the phone can get, using the phones own capabilities, to being in a faraday bag, using the phones own capabilities, correct?

de0u

trythis3 I'm saying that I am unaware of even a shred of evidence that turning a GrapheneOS device off doesn't actually turn the device off.

There is even some evidence that turning a Pixel off really and truly actually genuinely turns the radios off (source).

trythis3

de0u OK, thanks for trying to answer the question.

mar2112

Why do you have a phone?

trythis3

lackofhumor Thanks for actually answering the question.

forum257457

lackofhumor

If these suggestions are followed, wireless charging is still enabled. There is currently no method to disable wireless charging.

https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/22285-wireless-charging-privacy-and-security-risks

https://github.com/GrapheneOS/os-issue-tracker/issues/3271

de0u

lackofhumor If you go to Settings -> Location -> Location Services and turn everything off, plus Airplane mode (making sure Network, WiFi and Bluetooth go off) plus NFC disabled, you should achieve the equivalent of a faraday cage.

I don't think that will stop the processor clocks or the GPU clocks, which radiate. I suspect the touchscreen sensor radiates as well.

Not very much, admittedly. But I strongly suspect that turning the device off results in less RF radiation.

lackofhumor

de0u I don't think that will stop the processor clocks or the GPU clocks, which radiate. I suspect the touchscreen sensor radiates as well.

You are correct, that's why I specified that there are differences between disrupting communications and putting your device in a tempest proof box.

forum257457 If these suggestions are followed, wireless charging is still enabled. There is currently no method to disable wireless charging.

Thank you for pointing this out, the EM-Surfing side-channel attack was not known to me.

If you don't have the time to read the paper, this attack might deduct your passcode, keystroke, App information, and speech content with very high accuracy if the following requirements are met:

The smartphone is wireless charging
Smartphone's battery is already 80% charged
Charger is a rogue device
Smartphone is not idle (apps are running) or you are using your smartphone

I would like to emphasize that your smartphone must be doing something (They cannot grab app information if no app is running) or you should be using it (They cannot grab your passcode if you don't input it).

A bonus from GrapheneOS: if you enable PIN scrambling you actively prevent this attack to grap your passcode.

Let's say that if you shut down your phone and you put it in wireless charge on an untrusted charger, you might leak information related to the boot sequence.
Or to put it in other words, if you shut down your device and you put it in your pocket, you should be fine (wireless charge feature is not actively sending any data).