Improve Status Icon Descriptions

[SecUpwN]

Hi there, folks! This should be a relatively simple Issue regarding the descriptions of our Status Icons as suggested by @E3V3A in his #201 (comment). The Short Explanations and Detailed Explanations should be updated to reflect the current usage of oure Icons and also indicate to users how to behave without thinking too much about it. Discussion is open, let us review the current wording. Thank you!

[He3556]

1. I think we should show the yellow icon when the mobile is connected with a 2G Network. And use the rest of the icons for positive detections.
2. When we detect something we can use the orange, red and black icon like a 100 point scala. 100 is the black head.

[E3V3A]

@He3556
I don't agree completely on the 2G thing. People should (eventually) be able to use this on any G.

My thought about the icons. The currently stated functions are described as:

Yellow  Hostile Service Area: One or more FBTS are in operation in this vicinity.
Orange  Hostile Service Actions Detected: An FBTS is actively tracking users.

should probably be re-worded as:

code	description
Yellow	Insecure Service Area: At least 1 new or unknown BTS, is in operation in this vicinity.
Orange	Hostile Service Actions Detected: An IMSI-Catcher is actively tracking users.

[SecUpwN]

@He3556, I fully agree with @E3V3A on this. The Status Icon should only change from green to yellow if something happened. If we start to use our Icons for different networks and such, users will just get even moire confused and developers likewise. We are just discussing the descriptions here, the whole usage thing should essentially stay the same. Thank you for understanding and reviewing this thing again.

[david-nolastname]

I agree with @E3V3A as well. Consistency is super important for average users like me.

[E3V3A]

I'm considering also including BTS with easily broken encryption ( < A5/3 ) as Yellow insecure.

[He3556]

But if you say "Yellow = Hostile Service Area: One or more FBTS are in operation in this vicinity." that sounds more like a red icon to me.
A hostile area might be a area where you are using 2G (or maybe forced to use 2G)
that doesn't mean People would not be able to use this on any G.

@E3V3A yes, that's what i am talking about - in most 2G networks they still use <A5/3

• and how can we find out witch Algorithm is used?

[E3V3A]

It depend on your device, but relies on having one or more of QMI, AT, SIM, ServiceMode interfaces readily available, or possibly other baseband debug-log hack. @andr3jx ? We need to read-up on this, but is a different issue.

[SecUpwN]

Seems like we're stuck on the explanations of our Icons, @He3556? To answer your question where we can get the ciphering from: In the long term this should be done via the Android-CipheringIndicator-API.

[He3556]

Yes @E3V3A and SecUpwN you are both right - We can't get this CI right now. So i would take the yellow icon if 2G - rather than waiting untill we might get CI under certain conditions on a certain phone.
But anyway, we should have a table with events/detection and the color we want to show and/or the points (max.100)

[SecUpwN]

But anyway, we should have a table with events/detection and the color we want to show and/or the points (max.100)

Feel invited to edit the Status Icons accordingly to reflect your wish, @He3556!

[E3V3A]

But anyway, we should have a table with events/detection and the color we want to show and/or the points (max.100)

@He3556 ...Deja Vu: I'm working on it...

[E3V3A]

I've updated the Status Icons descriptions according to above discussions. @ Dev's: Please review!

[SecUpwN]

I've updated the Status Icons descriptions according to above discussions. @ Dev's: Please review!

Review passed on my side. Polished some things, wondering about [NEED FIX!] - what do you mean by that, @E3V3A? What about this "scoring table"? Let's hear the critical voice of @He3556! :)

[He3556]

If a developer or project member wants to discuss it - i would like to meet you in one of our chat rooms. I don't want to mess up our issues with conversations, that makes it hard for people to get the important informations. And i am also missing some ToDo's on our internal list. We are working on a few things at the same time right now. That makes it hard to follow the development. I also try to keep the "Development Status" updated from the informations i get via e-mail from all the issues. With the ToDo Tool it would be much easier to keep the control

1. About the yellow icon = explantation in the table "Expect that any phone calls/SMS made in this area can be intercepted and recorded". I just looked at the http://gsmmap.org/ to check the actual development of implementing A5/3 in GSM Networks. And there are only a few carriers in some countries that changed from A5/1 to A5/3. And even the ones who changed have only 30% to 60% of their connections in A5/3. (So 2G is yellow in more than 80% of the times) Question: which color will the "DB_id 6 = A5/x Downgrade" have?
2. How about adding the column "Icon code or color" to the Detection List - to get all things clear?
3. When the fake BTS is in "IMSI catching mode" (not in "camping mode") would it be the orange icon or the yellow? I would guess it is orange. And if it is operating in camping mode it is red - but only if the phone is connected with the fake BTS? What if other phones are connected with the fake BTS? Then others will see the orange icon?

[SecUpwN]

Thanks for chiming in, but no need to shout. To answer your questions here, @He3556:

Question: which color will have the "DB_id 6 = A5/x Downgrade"?

Voting for ORANGE. Also added that to our Detection List in #230.

How about adding the column "Icon code or color" to the Detection List - to get all things clear?

Done. Feel free to edit the codes according to our current agreements. Thank you.

When the fake BTS is in "IMSI catching mode" (not in "camping mode") would it be the orange icon or the yellow? I would guess it is orange.

Yes, ORANGE would be the appropriate one for that.

And if it is operating in camping mode it is red - but only if the phone is connected with the fake BTS?

Right on spot again, RED is correct.

What if other phones are connected with the fake BTS? Then others will see the orange icon?

Either you're good in guessing or our Icons make sense. The current description is: Hostile Service Actions Detected: An IMSI-Catcher is actively tracking users. [...] Active scanning takes place in this area. You should avoid this place, especially if there are political unrest.

[E3V3A]

@SecUpwN I'm on the scoring table, which will be an update and modification of the Gist one, but you have to give me a couple of days, because of the holidays, as I have a family obligations. Please stand by.

[SecUpwN]

@E3V3A, don't worry, I will. Just update the colors in the Detection List whenever you feel like it.

UPDATE 29.12.2014: @He3556, I've re-read everything here, the Icon descriptions itself do make good sense, I'm just waiting for @E3V3A to add his scoring table to our Status Icons. Please allow some time.

[SecUpwN]

@E3V3A, where did you want to add the scoring table? Is it in fact the Detection List? Is this solved?

[E3V3A]

I really haven't been able to respond properly to this one, due to work load. The status icons seem fine, but they're not used in the code as I haven't had time to finish the detection scoring table. But the table will appear in # 230 when done. BUT since the actual status icon descriptions are correct for now, I think we can close this, and I'll open a new issue for the implementation of these, once that score table has been clarified.