← Back to context

Comment by palata

16 hours ago

There are security reasons to use locked bootloaders.

But I do agree that we should be able to unlock and relock the bootloader. That's one of the reasons GrapheneOS supports the Google Pixel, for instance. The security model relies on the locked bootloader.

Very few people need a GrapheneOS level of security anyways.

Yeah sure there's a few cases where it make sense but they are few and far between.

  • I meant it's part of the Android security model. That's what makes Android more secure than Desktop OSes, for instance. A locked bootloader is a great way to make sure that the base system hasn't been tampered with, e.g. by malware.

    It is desirable for anyone who doesn't want malware.

    • I mean yeah sure, third party apps on android have a strong security model but what's the point when GrapheneOS is the only rom making updates on time, the play store runs as admin and manufacturer apps and driver can do whatever they want?

      The OS is borked even before you install even a single of these highly sandboxed third party apps.

      While in theory that model sounds great, in practice the security is worse than your average Linux distribution and the only people which managed to make it work is the GrapheneOS non-profit representing less that 0.1% of the devices.

      (And ironically the only secure Android rom doesn't fully pass Play Integrity)

      2 replies →