Horn: Mitigations are attack surface, too [LWN.net]

Horn: Mitigations are attack surface, too

Posted Feb 13, 2020 4:30 UTC (Thu) by pj (subscriber, #4506)
In reply to: Horn: Mitigations are attack surface, too by pizza
Parent article: Horn: Mitigations are attack surface, too

> Allowing "fragmentation" (aka "proprietary value add") is the primary reason Android succeeded.

IMO "proprietary value add" belongs as apps or as a HAL with a standardized API (ala Project Treble), not in Android core. Requiring non-software companies to maintain their own fork of an OS is just insane.

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Horn: Mitigations are attack surface, too

Posted Feb 13, 2020 8:06 UTC (Thu) by tuna (guest, #44480) [Link] (3 responses)

If you want to do new unique hardware (like little.Big cores, double screens, other stuff) you will need to change the core system. It is actually about freedom for manufacturers which makes it possible to have freedom for end users as well.

Horn: Mitigations are attack surface, too

Posted Feb 15, 2020 10:23 UTC (Sat) by oldtomas (guest, #72579) [Link] (1 responses)

" [...] freedom for manufacturers which makes it possible to have freedom for end users as well"

Now this is one bold claim.

Based on experience, I'd say the results are very mixed, in both directions?

Horn: Mitigations are attack surface, too

Posted Feb 15, 2020 11:50 UTC (Sat) by tuna (guest, #44480) [Link]

You can compare how much freedom end users had on Windows phones. On some of Android phones (like Sony XPeria Z3) it is possible to run a fully free operating system (with the need for some blobs for certain hardware enablement).

Horn: Mitigations are attack surface, too

Posted Feb 18, 2020 10:24 UTC (Tue) by immibis (subscriber, #105511) [Link]

And then they can contribute that code upstream, to comply.