Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Android Security Flaw

I recently had to adjust the settings on my Android phone to allow applications from "any source" so I could get some downloads from Amazon. While Amazon has complete instructions on how to do that and it frees me from only using the Android Store, why do I need to totally remove the limits to do so?

A better design would be to allow me to have a limited set of sites that could install applications on the phone, limiting installations to only those sites. Then I could add Amazon to the "approved list" and keep a lot more security without opening the barn door for anyone to walk in.

I would report this somewhere, but it is not clear at all where to do so. A search for "android feedback" just takes you to a Google page to give feedback on their market, without any ability to add comments. Not very helpful.