If you look at CVEs in Android a lot of them are tied to proprietary Qualcomm binaries. Its crazy how your GPU driver can be exploited to get root access.
If Qualcomm wasn’t so dependent on their vendor kernel that ships with tons of binary blobs it would be lot more secure.
“free” proprietary software bundled with your device? Its not technically free - its paid for as part of buying the device.
Does an actually free alternative to any qualcomm blob exist?
Proprietary software is not free (libre) software. Qualcomm is they only one who can actually patch there proprietary software and because the system is a black box. It is impossible to know how flawed the system could be.
Your post and comments contradict each other - what are you trying to say?
My post says that Qualcomm proprietary binaries are bad for security.
I did edit it for clarity
Your title says libre software is bad for security
You are right
I meant this as reasons to use free software but it got lost in translation
Yeah what you posted is literally the opposite of what I guess you were trying to say
Its still worded as if libre software is the problem.
“Closed source proprietary software is bad for security” or something - its the fact the code is unauditable is the issue
*Free with purchase
You are correct. The software is an integral part of the device and cannot be unbundled.
Maybe I’m missing something, but there don’t appear to be FOSS alternatives to Qualcomm binaries. At least, not with a quick search. I might be able to get better information with a more narrow search.
Here is a decent conversation from 2021. I doubt that things have changed much.
I think you’re getting downvoted by people that only read the title of your post.
Na, OP sounds wrong in general.
An unsecure binary is 100% the fault of the company creating it not the underlying kernel.
Do you blame the Linux kernel for heartbleed? No, you blame openssl. Do you blame Java for Log4Shell? No you blame Apache
Maybe I did a bad job of phrasing this?
I’m saying that the bulk of Android security issues come from Qualcomm binaries
If Android wasn’t so dependent on Qualcomm binary blobs it would be lot more secure.
might be more accurate?
