Upcoming Android setting basically puts a condom on your USB port
Android 16 will block new USB connections when the phone is locked, protecting it from physical attacks
May 16
/
Yahoo! Tech
Security experts have been telling us for years to keep our phones safe while charging in public. Most of us simply rolled our eyes and muttered "OKAY mom." Then we scurried off to plug our devices into the first clean charger we saw at the local Starbucks. Well, Android 16 wants to help us practice safe charging.
Google is adding a new feature to Android 16 that blocks new USB device connections while your phone is locked (via Android Authority). This will help protect your device from physical attacks using USB peripherals, and could prevent malicious actors from inserting USB devices where they shouldn't. Talk about a real plug block.
Advanced Protection Mode disables USB data signaling when the device is locked. Charging still works, but any peripherals (keyboards, flash drives, etc) will be blocked until the phone is unlocked. Security experts call this a USB condom. Usually, it requires installing a third-party piece of software, until now.
Advanced Protection Mode disables USB data signaling when the device is locked. Charging still works, but any peripherals (keyboards, flash drives, etc) will be blocked until the phone is unlocked. Security experts call this a USB condom. Usually, it requires installing a third-party piece of software, until now.
APM uses a software-based approach that Google first introduced with Android 12. It was expanded with Android 15's lockdown mode. The big change we'll see in Android 16 is blocking new USB devices automatically, without needing the user to do anything. A notification will warn you about 'suspicious USB activity' if a device attempts to connect while the phone is locked.
It also disables sideloading of apps, restricts 2G connectivity, enforces Memory Tagging Extension (MTE) for apps, and blocks public Wi-Fi. Google has not yet rolled out an easy toggle for this, but Android Authority's APK teardown shows the features are already working in Android 16 Beta 4. It won't be long now.
No more next-morning scares (with your phone)
Android 16 won't forcibly disconnect a peripheral if you've already connected it to your phone. It will block new connections, however. This means you don't have to worry about your Pixel suddenly missing its monthly update because someone installed a virus on it while you were charging it at that sketchy bar last week.
Once Advanced Protection Mode becomes user-accessible, we'll all be practicing safe-charging.
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Our Symposium aims to provide the most beneficial and practical experiences for our students. From providing resources, special guest speakers, and also networking and bonding experiences. All of this is costs for us at Intellect-LE. We do our best to cover the travel costs for our instructors as well as resource give aways for students and all of that is paid prior to the course dates. If we have a large amount of students cancel before class, this incurs a large out of pocket expense for use and we would not be able to sustain our course. When you or your agency registers and pays for class we believe you are attending. We understand that circumstances arise so while we do not refund paid seats, we do offer the following options;
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