The answer seems obvious, of course, and I’ve been in IT for 20+ years so I’m not clueless. OTOH, don’t know much about phone tech anymore.
I almost never use the phone for browsing or email, mainly texting, calling, pictures and navigation. So what are my threat vectors? If I’m not on the web or downloading sketchy apps, what risks am I looking at?
I ask because I just got an old Pixel 4a and was wondering how long I’ll get updates.
EDIT: I should add that I don’t connect to any wireless but my own.
Your phone can receive data from all sorts of potential input vectors. For example, someone can send you a text message that contains a document that your phone tries to preview that ultimately results in running code without your permission on your phone. Fake cellular base stations can attack the modem on your device. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices in physical proximity still produce radio packets that will be processed by your device even if you’re not actively joined to the same network.
These aren’t merely theoretical attacks either. They have been used in high profile cases to attack journalists and political figures even on devices that are up-to-date. Unless you’re using your phone exclusively in airplane mode without connecting to any networks or transferring data onto the phone of any kind, you are at increased risk.
EDIT: I wish to provide some practical advice. If you’re not likely to be specially targeted by a threat actor and you don’t process sensitive information on this phone, it’s probably not terrible to use it anyway, although you do so understanding and accepting that there is increased risk in using a device that’s no longer receiving security updates.
Excellent reply! Just what I was asking.
My wife has the 4a. She’s happy with it. I love how it fits in my hand.
But, I’ve been pushing her to upgrade because it’s been out of security updates for over a year.
Could also install LineageOS on it to get a few more years out of it: https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/sunfish/
Yeah, in the past I would have. I wish it still were viable.
With securitynet and banking apps refusing to do their thing on rooted devices it’s just too much hassle to pass the wife test.
I’m not sure about LineageOS, but vanilla installations of GrapheneOS and CalyxOS aren’t rooted (though I’m not how supported the 4a still is). I don’t know about Securitynet, but I haven’t noticed any issues with banking apps (yet).
Occasionally you’ll hear about an unauthenticated race that only takes receiving a text.
All vulnerability services consider end of support to be a critical vulnerability.
You may have a look at GrapheneOS or other custom firmwares for your Pixel 4A to get an extended period of security patches.
On a mobile device, the risk is rather low. Most hackers go for commonly used operating systems and spray their attacks at millions of machines. If you’re practicing good security hygiene, you should be fine, even though I’m a strong advocate for security updates. Updating is obviously better than not updating. So if budget isn’t an issue I’d say upgrade the device. 4a doesn’t get updates anymore.
