Network covert channels on the Android platform

Network covert channels are used to exfiltrate information from a secured environment in such a way that an observer cannot detect that communication is taking place at all. These secret channels have been identified as an important security threat to governments and the private sector, and several research efforts have focused on the design, detection, and prevention of such channels in enterprise-type environments. Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets have become an ubiquitous computing platform, and are storing or have access to an increasingly large amount of sensitive information. As such, these devices have become prime targets of attackers with malicious intents. This paper discusses the implementation of network covert channels on the Android mobile platform, and shows that data can be leaked from these devices in a manner undetectable by the user, the phone’s security features, or network security between the mobile device and the outside network. Understanding the threat of covert channels to mobile devices will allow the development of proactive protection mechanisms.