Panel: Security implications of Android: 
 a "closed system, open software" Mobile Platform 
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Abstract
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Smartphones blur the boundaries between the traditional 
feature phone and a general purpose computer such as a laptop. 
The Android OS, from Google, was created to be an open 
alternative to fully closed platforms such as Apple's iOS 
or Microsoft's Windows Phone. However, upon closer inspection, 
there are closed elements of the Android OS platform. 
First, there are closed portions to Google's Android code 
(e.g., manufacturer drivers). Second, users are also closed 
off from accessing and modifying core elements of the OS 
such as the kernel and system daemons through both software 
and policy controls. These controls are enacted by Google, 
cellular carriers, and smartphone manufactures.

We aim to open a broad and inclusive debate about the issues 
of openness in the mobile environment. The goal of this panel 
is to discuss if a mobile platform can both be fully open 
and secure for all stakeholders involved. The panel will only 
discuss Android as it is the most widely researched smartphone 
OS, with leading market share and highly targeted by malware. 
We plan to discuss the gains, losses, conflicts surrounding 
the Android’s open yet closed platform.


Panelists  
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Hassen Saidi - SRI International (Moderator)
Tim Wyatt - Lookout Mobile
Ahmad-Reza Sadeghi (TU Darmstadt)
David Lie (University of Toronto)
David Barrera - Carleton University
Nathaniel Husted - Indiana University
Jean-Pierre Seifer - Deutsche Telekom Laboratories