The latest Android does not have to provide an increased level of security by encrypting włączonemu default. Launching new smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S6 shows that Google has quietly changed the rules and recommendations on Android 5.0 Lollipop and drew the manufacturers need to use encryption. Why? Most likely it huge productivity losses faced by this platform.
Introduced last year, the Android 5 was to be the revolution in many ways, not only those visible to the user and that is the case. Google in October reported that the new device will have data encryption enabled by default, as indeed was then almost forced to producers who would like to use this system. The case is very important, because the phone thefts in which there is a whole bunch of data is unfortunately our everyday life, and in the meantime the old versions of Windows do not provide adequate security and can be relatively easy to obtain keys. This is a problem not only for business, but also those who want to protect their devices from being accessed by thieves and curious security services.
The new devices running on the latest version of Android encryption enabled by default, but they do not. All because of a change in policy Google – now they provide that the device must allow for the encryption and the producer should (but does not have to) use it. The difference between the English words “should” and “must” seems to be the language of little significance, but the technical issues are extremely regulated, as you can see from the document RFC 2119.
Currently, the use of encryption is not required and as a result S6 or Galaxy or Motorola Moto E do not use this function. Why did Google change its rules, but even last year, it boasted increased safety of its mobile platform, which could finally catch up to what Apple offers in your iOS? The official answer is not, because so far Google declined to comment, but just look at the experiment, which were new Nexus series devices, primarily Phablet Nexus 6.
Performance new Nexus leaves much to be desired in many situations they prove to be slower than Nexus 5, though improved hardware specifications. This is due to the encryption enabled precisely what has been repeatedly proven. Continuous use AES encryption admittedly offers high security, but has its own overhead. That model uses the Snapdragon while 805, or ARMv7. The architecture does not have a native instruction while allowing for the acceleration of the encryption process. We find them only in ARMv8, or 64-bit processors that are just starting to appear on Android devices. The support of middleware, or Linux kernel is also provided just in ARMv8 Crypto Extensions. The decision seems to be so understood: the requirement to use encryption completely kill the performance of devices that will use the slightly older, though successful and still popular chips. If, however, the financial segment began to act even worse than it is now, a new Android could sink entirely.
The change does not of course mean that we can not independently run encryption on new smartphones and tablets – the link is in the settings. It should, however, be aware that if you do not have ARMv8 processor type, it will be a big performance hit. The new rules say Google for something else: the company does not exclude the possibility that in the future re-use of this security will become mandatory. So most likely waiting for the appropriate dissemination of new processors that support hardware encryption. Of course it can also be about “request” on the part of institutions such as the NSA.
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