Rooted Android phones vulnerable due to Android kernel patching flaws

11 witnessme 5 8/18/2025, 2:16:56 AM zimperium.com ↗

Comments (5)

spaqin · 1h ago
Would be much easier to work against such vulnerabilities if rooting was officially sanctioned and actual resources could be put towards making it a viable and secure option, rather than taking away the power from the user for the device they purchased.
preisschild · 8m ago
Giving apps root permissions exposes a huge hole in the Android security system (normal permissions) though. This is inherently more insecure than not having root at all.

> rather than taking away the power from the user for the device they purchased

I disagree with that. Not having root doesn't mean it's inherently anti-user. I use GrapheneOS without root and am still in total control of my device.

WarOnPrivacy · 6h ago
The author goes into the weeds on the vulnerabilities that can be left following some rooting methods. All to the good.

Meanwhile, it's non-rooted phones that get endlessly compromised

    by state sponsored cellbright attacks (LEO),
    by blackhatted Israeli exploitive malware platforms
    and from an endless array of general crapware, much 
     of it from handset manufacturers, wireless carriers and 
     their bloatware affiliates.
All that said, the article really does go into detail. I know enough to follow along but probably not enough to spot issues (if there are any).
preisschild · 7m ago
You are mistaking "rooting" with using a different Android distribution.

You can install GrapheneOS/Lineageos without root. And you can install a su binary on the stock OS, not improving privacy at all.

ThePowerOfFuet · 1h ago
>Meanwhile, it's non-rooted phones that get endlessly compromised

With the notable exclusion of GrapheneOS. (It's also Cellebrite-proof going on three years now.)