Tag: SafetyNet

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Opinion: Why hiding root is eventually a losing game

Recently, it came to light that Google has updated SafetyNet once again. This recent update added some extra root and tamper checks, breaking tools like Magisk. However, the Magisk developer managed to patch the new update almost immediately with their v13.0 beta. While this is good news for Magisk users, it further emphasizes that Google is playing out a cat and mouse game between their SafetyNet checks and root hiding tools like Magisk. A game that Magisk is eventually going to lose.

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SafetyNet: What is it, and why doesn’t Android Pay work without it?

Google’s SafetyNet is an API available for developers, to protect device security and provide a health check of the device to an app. An app can then refuse to run if the device health check fails, or disable features. An app known for doing this is Pokemon Go. This was one of the first apps which actively refused to run on a device that has been unlocked or tampered with. A simple API for developers to implement, huge ramifications for the end-user. The intention of SafetyNet is to provide a protection for the end-user and the IP of a company or to prevent cheating in games, but invariably hurts the end-user and, it can be argued, causes more problems than it solves.

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