Do I need a second phone to install crap apps?

grapppp

I cannot get away using some apps because people just won't download Signal. Other apps are necessary too for certain government-related and shop-related reasons. I don't trust any of them and I would never think of installing them on a secure phone, however maybe it is different with Graphene?

Do I need a second phone so that they do not have access to anything on my phone and would not lead to a compromized system? The apps in question are widely used apps, nothing weird or unknown, that's why I need them for some functions in a connected society's system.

evalda

grapppp you can install them in separate user profile(s) to increase isolation.

grapppp

evalda Does it mean that I should add extra users and relogin if I want to use the apps? For example Whatsapp or the bank app would each have a separate profile then.

Can I have Spotify playing in one of these accounts in the background while I am on my main profile?

What apps should I logically keep together on the main profile then? I am tempted to just create a separate profile for all apps except for the default ones, so including Signal would have a separate profile too then. Does that make any sense?

Thank you for helping

evalda

grapppp It totally depends on your threat model and what you're trying to accomplish. There is no one "right" way to do profiles...

For example, I separate sensitive apps away from main profile and also separate apps that I consider more hostile into other profiles.

grapppp

evalda I'm starting to get the idea and sorting apps in my mind. What do you use the main profile for? Is it just phone calls and SMS separated out?

evalda

grapppp I don't use the Owner profile at all. Instead I have one user profile "main" where I have most of the apps that I use all the time... Another profile for banking. Other profile for matrix client because I consider it hostile.

grapppp

evalda Why do you not use the Owner profile? Is it the same as Linux root? I know it's not actual root, I mean that it has more priviledges or access to something that other profiles don't?

Arnauld

evalda Matrix is hostile? Do you mean Element?

evalda

grapppp Not exactly... Owner is different from other profiles in two ways:

It is always unencrypted and always running. You can't use another profile and not have Owner opened. I need to use some profiles like banking with no other profiles running on the background....
Some system settings can only be changed from the Owner profile. So not using it provides an extra assurance such settings won't be changed accidentally or maliciously.

grapppp

evalda Very smart solution, I will follow suit. However why is the Owner profile unencrypted? That would mean that you should not store any data on the Owner profile, such as pictures?

evalda

grapppp No Owner profile is encrypted at rest like any other... However it's always running which means open. So you can't use some profile with hostile apps and not have Owner opened.

grapppp

evalda So when I switch to a hostile app profile, other profiles are off except for the owner, which is why it's safer to not have anything on the owner profile. Thank you for explaining.

evalda

grapppp yes... Please note you need to tap End Session to shut down a profile, it doesn't happen automatically when you switch to another profile. And yes, owner cannot be shut down like that and is always running.

grapppp

evalda Thank you for explaining this further. I will make use of this and think of how to best categorize my apps. Right now I'm deciding if there is any point to separate hostile apps to separate profiles and what I must have in the main profile. For example I would like to have maps but I don't like phone calls because they are not encrypted so I use Signal. Maps can be offline but Signal will be online. If Signal has a vulnerability then my maps data (location data) would be compromised. I know I will be taking pictures of some things too at times so my pictures will go to the main profile too, which means that they would be compromised too. The same with taking notes which can also be offline...

evalda

Arnauld it's an inbound communication channel... So I consider it hostile... Client doesn't matter, any client may have vulnerabilities

Harald

grapppp No other app's data would be compromised unless it can escape the sandbox. That would require a vulnerability in GOS and not just the app.

lahisdlais

I dont know much about Graphene / security, but you could install some apps in the workprofile.
You could use an crapp app there, if you need notifications from it. You would get these notifications, while you are in your normal profile. And the App couldnt access your Pictures for example. But with your File Manager you could copy Files to your Work Profile.