From de979cbdfd314e1138fe09a158f60765f2f7c230 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Wonderfall Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2022 18:59:42 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] clarifying --- content/posts/fdroid-issues.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/content/posts/fdroid-issues.md b/content/posts/fdroid-issues.md index eb55884..250d7ce 100644 --- a/content/posts/fdroid-issues.md +++ b/content/posts/fdroid-issues.md @@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ To understand why this is a problem, you'll have to understand a bit about F-Dro Unlike other repositories, F-Droid signs all the apps in the main repository with **its own signing keys** at the exception of the very few [reproducible builds](https://f-droid.org/en/docs/Reproducible_Builds/). A signature is a mathematical scheme that guarantees the authenticity of the applications you download. Upon the installation of an app, Android pins the signature across the entire OS (including user profiles): that's what we call a *trust-on-first-use* model since all subsequent updates of the app must have the corresponding signature to be installed. -Normally, the developer is supposed to sign their own app prior to its upload on a distribution channel, whether that is a website or a traditional repository (or both). You don't have to trust the source (usually recommended by the developer) except for the first installation: future updates will have their authenticity cryptographically guaranteed. The issue with F-Droid is that all apps are signed by the same party (F-Droid) which is also not the developer. You're now adding another party you'll have to trust, which isn't ideal: **the fewer parties, the better**. +Normally, the developer is supposed to sign their own app prior to its upload on a distribution channel, whether that is a website or a traditional repository (or both). You don't have to trust the source (usually recommended by the developer) except for the first installation: future updates will have their authenticity cryptographically guaranteed. The issue with F-Droid is that all apps are signed by the same party (F-Droid) which is also not the developer. You're now adding another party you'll have to trust since you still have to trust the developer, which isn't ideal: **the fewer parties, the better**. On the other hand, Play Store now manages the app signing keys too, as [Play App Signing](https://developer.android.com/studio/publish/app-signing#app-signing-google-play) is required for app bundles which are required for new apps since August 2021. These signing keys can be uploaded or automatically generated, and are securely stored by [Google Cloud Key Management Service](https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/security_whitepapers_march2018.pdf). It should be noted that the developer still has to sign the app with **an upload key** so that Google can verify its authenticity before signing it with the app signing key. For apps created before August 2021 that may have [not opted in Play App Signing](https://developer.android.com/studio/publish/app-signing#opt-out) yet, the developer still manages the private key and is responsible for its security, as a compromised private key can allow a third party to sign and distribute malicious code.