If you have already installed a custom ROM in your Android device, you already know what rooting means. To be clear, rooting gives your ROM unlimited administrative privileges on the system. The device’s operating system need root access to control it. That’s why we root the device in order to install the ROM.
By rooting and installing a custom ROM, you can get more customization options in your device, make things faster by getting rid of factory installed bloatware, go for a newer Android version, etc. You’ll get many benefits by rooting your device. But, you’ll also make it more vulnerable!
In a normal un-rooted device, only the OS have root access. The OS is built by Google and modified by your trusted vendor. So there’s nothing to worry about. But if you root it, not only your OS, but some of your apps will also get root access. Don’t think all apps in the Play Store are legit and trustworthy. There are a lot of malware apps hidden inside it. What will happen if one of these apps get unlimited administrative rights? You’re doomed! They can steal your passwords, other personal data, and can even damage the whole OS!
Because of this problem, on the 16th of March, the CyanogenMod team introduced a patch for CM 9 which will allow you to disable root access for all apps. Last week they started to release stable builds of CyanogenMod 9 and now you can try the new security feature as soon as you install the ROM. I think this is something you should do in-order to secure your device!
How To Disable Root Access in CyanogenMod 9 and 10 :
- In your Android device, go to Settings > Developer Options > Root Access
- In the list, select Disabled
- If you want to re-enable it, select Apps only
Now you are secured! But not completely. These days we are starting to hear about more dangerous and more complicated malware threats from around the globe. You’ll never know until you go down! So, always be careful!
