Exploring SE for Android

Discover Security Enhancements (SE) for Android to build your own protected Android-based systems

About This Book

• Learn the fundamental security models and motivations behind Linux, SELinux, and SE for Android.
• Build and enable current security enhancements from the SE for Android project onto a working embedded UDOO board.
• Discover how to leverage SE for Android to secure your own projects in powerful ways using this step by step guide.

Who This Book Is For

This book is intended for developers and engineers with some familiarity of operating system concepts as implemented by Linux. A basic background in C code would be helpful. Their positions range from hobbyists wanting to secure their Android powered creations to OEM engineers building handsets to engineers of emerging areas where Android is seeing growth.

In Detail

You will start by exploring the nature of the security mechanisms behind Linux and SELinux, and as you complete the chapters, you will integrate and enable SE for Android into a System on Chip (SoC), a process that, prior to this book, has never before been documented in its entirety! Discover Android’s unique user space, from its use of the common UID and GID model to promote its security goals to its custom binder IPC mechanism. Explore the interface between the kernel and user space with respect to SELinux and investigate contexts and labels and their application to system objects.

This book will help you develop the necessary skills to evaluate and engineer secured products with the Android platform, whether you are new to world of Security Enhanced Linux (SELinux) or experienced in secure system deployment.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Linux Access Controls
Chapter 2. Mandatory Access Controls and SELinux
Chapter 3. Android Is Weird
Chapter 4. Installation on the UDOO
Chapter 5. Booting the System
Chapter 6. Exploring SELinuxFS
Chapter 7. Utilizing Audit Logs
Chapter 8. Applying Contexts to Files
Chapter 9. Adding Services to Domains
Chapter 10. Placing Applications in Domains
Chapter 11. Labeling Properties
Chapter 12. Mastering the Tool Chain
Chapter 13. Getting to Enforcing Mode