Tag Archive for: operating

Beyond BharOS: 5 mobile operating systems you can actually try on your Android phone

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BharOS, a Linux kernel based operating system for Android phones from an IIT incubated startup is currently touted as India’s own Android and iOS rival. While BharOS is still in the testing phase, it is said to be compatible with Pixel smartphones. If you want to install BharOS on your phone or get a phone that ships with BharOS, you might have to wait for at least a few more months. In the meantime, here are some of the custom Android OS builds that can be used without any Google services.

Do note that, installing a custom ROM on your smartphone does come with risks of its own. To install a custom ROM, the bootloader has to be unlocked, which will make the device vulnerable to hacks and malware. Not just that, a custom ROM might break the primary functionalities of the smartphone and it could also make the phone unusable. Lastly, always download the custom ROMs only from verified sources.

Sailfish OS is available for select Sony smartphones.

Sailfish OS

If you don’t want to use Google services on your Android phone and want an operating system that’s unique, secure, and stable, then Sailfish OS is one of those few options that deliver fourth-generation security with protection from Firejail sandboxing, which reduces the risk of a security breach using Linux namespaces. This operating system is developed and maintained by the team behind the Jolla series of devices, which were launched right after the Nokia N800 and the N900 series of smartphones.

As this is still a Linux kernel based OS, it allows users to sideload APKs. However, the major drawback of this operating system is that the support is limited to select Sony smartphones.

Ubuntu Touch is also available for a wide range of devices.

Ubuntu Touch

Ubuntu Touch is also a great way to enjoy a smartphone without Google services. This custom operating system is available for select phones from Xiaomi, OnePlus, Asus, Google, and Samsung. When compared to other Linux kernel based OS, Ubuntu Touch offers a unique and secure user experience.

Lineage OS was previously known as CyanogenMOD.

LineageOS

Popular amongst custom ROM enthusiasts, LineageOS, previously known as CyanogenMod is one of the most popular open-source…

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IIT Madras-Incubated Firm Develops Indigenous BharOS Operating System

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IIT Madras-incubated firm develops indigenous mobile operating system 'BharOS'

IIT Madras-incubated firm develops indigenous mobile operating system ‘BharOS’

An IIT Madras-incubated firm has developed an indigenous mobile operating system called ‘BharOS‘, officials said on Thursday. The system can be installed on commercial off-the-shelf handsets. BharOS services are currently being provided to organisations that have stringent privacy and security requirements and whose users handle sensitive information that requires confidential communications on restricted apps on mobiles. Such users require access to private cloud services through private 5G networks.
The BharOS was developed by JandK Operations Private Limited (JandKops), which has been incubated at IIT Madras. “BharOS Service is a Mobile Operating System built on a foundation of trust, with a focus on providing users more freedom, control, and flexibility to choose and use only the apps that fit their needs,” said IIT Madras director V Kamakoti.

“This innovative system promises to revolutionise the way users think about security and privacy on their mobile devices,” he said. “We look forward to working closely with many more private industries, government agencies, strategic agencies and telecom service providers to increase the usage and adoption of BharOS in our country,” he added. BharOS comes with No Default Apps (NDA). This means that users are not forced to use apps that they may not be familiar with or that they may not trust. Additionally, this approach allows users to have more control over the permissions that apps have on their device, as they can choose to only allow apps that they trust to access certain features or data on their device.

According to Karthik Ayyar, director of JandK Operations Pvt Ltd, BharOS offers ‘Native Over The Air‘ (NOTA) updates that can help to keep the devices secure. “NOTA updates are automatically downloaded and installed on the device, without the need for the user to manually initiate the process. This ensures that the device is always running the latest version of the operating system, which includes the latest security patches and bug fixes. With NDA, PASS, and NOTA, BharOS ensures that Indian mobile phones are trustworthy,” he said. Ayyar explained that…

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How To Update a Windows 10 Computer / Security Updates Driver Updates Operating System Updates

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NSO surveillance rival operating in EU

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The European Union has begun to wake up to the threat posed by an out-of-control surveillance industry, with Israel’s notorious NSO Group and its Pegasus spyware in its crosshairs.

As European Parliament hearings into hacking scandals resume this week, an investigation led by collaborative newsroom Lighthouse Reports alongside EUobserver, Der Spiegel, Domani and Irpimedia reveals the unreported scale of operations at a shady European surveillance outfit, whose tools are in use all over the world, including in countries with a recent history of corruption and human rights violations.

  • The exterior of the Rome HQ (Photo: Lighthouse Reports)

Tykelab, a little-known company based in Italy, and its owner RCS Lab are quietly selling powerful surveillance tech inside and outside the EU, boasting that it can “track the movements of almost anybody who carries a mobile phone, whether they are blocks away or on another continent”.

The new investigation, based on confidential telecom data and industry sources, found the companies employing a range of tracking and hacking tools — including surreptitious phone network attacks and sophisticated spyware which gives full remote access to a mobile device — against targets in southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America, as well as inside Europe.

MEPs, telecom specialists and privacy experts have reacted with dismay to the revelations, describing them as a danger to rights and security, and calling on governments and industry to do more to regulate Europe’s spy firms.

“This is a story of a large spyware vendor abusing the rule of law, this time based within Europe,” MEP Sophie In ‘t Veld said. “It is high time that the entire spyware industry within the EU, which acts in a sort of twilight zone of legality, is regulated and sees the light of day. Limits have to be set, otherwise our democracy is broken.”

Edin Omanovic, advocacy director of the NGO Privacy International, said: “The threat posed by the mercenary spyware industry must now be clear to Brussels and European capitals: they need to take decisive action to protect networks, stop this trade and sanction companies complicit in abuses, as the US has already done.”

The…

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