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Google Android 15 COPE Security Technical Implementation Guide

Overview

Version Date Finding Count (39) Downloads
1 2024-12-05 CAT I (High): 2 CAT II (Medium): 32 CAT III (Low): 5 Excel JSON XML
Stig Description
This Security Technical Implementation Guide is published as a tool to improve the security of Department of Defense (DOD) information systems. The requirements are derived from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-53 and related documents. Comments or proposed revisions to this document should be sent via email to the following address: disa.stig_spt@mail.mil.
Classified Public Sensitive  
I - Mission Critical Classified I - Mission Critical Public I - Mission Critical Sensitive II - Mission Critical Classified II - Mission Critical Public II - Mission Critical Sensitive III - Mission Critical Classified III - Mission Critical Public III - Mission Critical Sensitive

Findings - All

Finding ID Severity Title Description
V-269101 High Google Android 15 must be configured to disable "Private Space" use. Private Space is an Android feature that provides a separate encrypted container on the mobile device. Apps in Private Space show up in a separate container in the launcher and are hidden from the "Recents" view, notifications, settings, and other apps when the Private Space is locked. In addition, MDM...
V-267557 High Android 15 devices must have the latest available Google Android 15 operating system installed. Required security features are not available in earlier operating system versions. In addition, there may be known vulnerabilities in earlier versions. SFRID: FMT_SMF.1.1 #47
V-267561 Medium The Google Android 15 must allow only the administrator (EMM) to install/remove DOD root and intermediate PKI certificates. DOD root and intermediate PKI certificates are used to verify the authenticity of PKI certificates of users and web services. If the user is allowed to remove root and intermediate certificates, the user could allow an adversary to falsely sign a certificate in such a way that it could not...
V-267560 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to disable all data signaling over [assignment: list of externally accessible hardware ports (for example, USB)]. If a user is able to configure the security setting, the user could inadvertently or maliciously set it to a value that poses unacceptable risk to DOD information systems. An adversary could exploit vulnerabilities created by the weaker configuration to compromise DOD sensitive information. SFRID: FMT_MOF_EXT.1.2 #24
V-267556 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to disallow configuration of date and time. Determining the correct time a particular application event occurred on a system is critical when conducting forensic analysis and investigating system events. Periodically synchronizing internal clocks with an authoritative time source is necessary to correctly correlate the timing of events that occur across the enterprise. The three authoritative time sources...
V-267555 Medium The Google Android 15 work profile must be configured to disable the autofill services. The autofill services allow the user to complete text inputs that could contain sensitive information, such as personally identifiable information (PII), without previous knowledge of the information. By allowing the use of autofill services, an adversary who learns a user's Android 15 device password, or who otherwise is able to...
V-267554 Medium The Google Android 15 work profile must be configured to disable automatic completion of workspace internet browser text input. The autofill functionality in the web browser allows the user to complete a form that contains sensitive information, such as personally identifiable information (PII), without previous knowledge of the information. By allowing the use of autofill functionality, an adversary who learns a user's Android 15 device password, or who otherwise...
V-267553 Medium Google Android 15 must be provisioned as a fully managed device and configured to create a work profile. The Android Enterprise work profile is the designated application group for the COPE use case. SFRID: FMT_SMF.1.1 #47
V-267552 Medium The Google Android 15 work profile must be configured to enforce the system application disable list. The system application disable list controls user access to/execution of all core and preinstalled applications. Core application: Any application integrated into Google Android 15 by Google. Preinstalled application: Additional noncore applications included in the Google Android 15 build by Google or the wireless carrier. Some system applications can compromise DOD...
V-267551 Medium The Google Android 15 work profile must be configured to prevent users from adding personal email accounts to the work email app. If the user is able to add a personal email account (POP3, IMAP, EAS) to the work email app, it could be used to forward sensitive DOD data to unauthorized recipients. Restricting email account addition to the administrator or restricting email account addition to allow listed accounts mitigates this vulnerability....
V-267550 Medium Google Android 15 must have the DOD root and intermediate PKI certificates installed. DOD root and intermediate PKI certificates are used to verify the authenticity of PKI certificates of users and web services. If the root and intermediate certificates are not available, an adversary could falsely sign a certificate in such a way that it could not be detected. Providing access to the...
V-267549 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to enforce a password for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth hotspot, if approved for use by the authorizing official (AO). If not approved for use, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth hotspot must be disabled. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth hotspot use may increase the risk for exposing sensitive DOD data for some use cases, therefore it should be disabled unless approved by the AO. When a DOD mobile phone is used as a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth hotspot, a hotspot password must be enabled, otherwise unauthorized devices...
V-267548 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to disable Wi-Fi Sharing. Wi-Fi Sharing is an optional configuration of Wi-Fi Tethering/Mobile Hotspot, which allows the device to share its Wi-Fi connection with other wirelessly connected devices instead of its mobile (cellular) connection. Wi-Fi Sharing grants the other device access to a corporate Wi-Fi network and may possibly bypass the network access control...
V-267547 Medium Google Android 15 users must complete required training. The security posture of Google devices requires the device user to configure several required policy rules on their device. User-Based Enforcement (UBE) is required for these controls. In addition, if the authorizing official (AO) has approved the use of an unmanaged personal space, the user must receive training on risks....
V-267546 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to disable ad hoc wireless client-to-client connection capability. Ad hoc wireless client-to-client connections allow mobile devices to communicate with each other directly, circumventing network security policies and making the traffic invisible. This could allow the exposure of sensitive DOD data and increase the risk of downloading and installing malware of the DOD mobile device. SFRID: FMT_SMF_EXT.1.1/WLAN
V-267544 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to disable multiuser modes. Multiuser mode allows multiple users to share a mobile device by providing a degree of separation between user data. To date, no mobile device with multiuser mode features meets DOD requirements for access control, data separation, and nonrepudiation for user accounts. In addition, the MDFPP does not include design requirements...
V-267543 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to disable exceptions to the access control policy that prevent [selection: application processes, groups of application processes] from accessing [selection: all, private] data stored by other [selection: application processes, groups of application processes]. App data sharing gives apps the ability to access the data of other apps for enhanced user functionality. However, sharing also poses a significant risk that unauthorized users or apps will obtain access to DOD sensitive information. To mitigate this risk, there are data sharing restrictions, primarily from sharing data...
V-267542 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to enable authentication of personal hotspot connections to the device using a preshared key. If no authentication is required to establish personal hotspot connections (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth), an adversary may be able to use that device to perform attacks on other devices or networks without detection. A sophisticated adversary may also be able to exploit unknown system vulnerabilities to access information and computing resources...
V-267541 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to not allow backup of [all applications, configuration data] to remote systems. Backups to remote systems (including cloud backup) can leave data vulnerable to breach on the external systems, which often offer less protection than the mobile operating system (MOS). Where the remote backup involves a cloud-based solution, the backup capability is often used to synchronize data across multiple devices. In this...
V-267540 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to not allow backup of [all applications, configuration data] to locally connected systems. Data on mobile devices is protected by numerous mechanisms, including user authentication, access control, and cryptography. When the data is backed up to an external system (either locally connected or cloud based), many if not all of these mechanisms are no longer present. This leaves the backed-up data vulnerable to...
V-267539 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to disable USB mass storage mode. USB mass storage mode enables the transfer of data and software from one device to another. This software can include malware. When USB mass storage is enabled on a mobile device, it becomes a potential vector for malware and unauthorized data exfiltration. Prohibiting USB mass storage mode mitigates this risk....
V-267538 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to generate audit records for the following auditable events: Detected integrity violations. Audit logs enable monitoring of security-relevant events and subsequent forensics when breaches occur. They help identify attacks so that breaches can be prevented or limited in their scope. They facilitate analysis to improve performance and security. The Requirement Statement lists key events for which the system must generate an audit...
V-267536 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to disable developer modes. Developer modes expose features of the mobile operating system (MOS) that are not available during standard operation. An adversary may leverage a vulnerability inherent in a developer mode to compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of DOD sensitive information. Disabling developer modes mitigates this risk. SFRID: FMT_SMF.1.1 #26
V-267535 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to disable trust agents. Trust agents allow a user to unlock a mobile device without entering a passcode when the mobile device is, for example, connected to a user-selected Bluetooth device or in a user-selected location. This technology would allow unauthorized users to have access to DOD sensitive data if compromised. By not permitting...
V-267534 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to not display the following (work profile) notifications when the device is locked: [selection: a. email notifications b. calendar appointments c. contact associated with phone call notification d. text message notification e. other application-based notifications f. all notifications]. Many mobile devices display notifications on the lock screen so that users can obtain relevant information in a timely manner without having to frequently unlock the phone to determine if there are new notifications. However, in many cases, these notifications can contain sensitive information. When they are available on the...
V-267533 Medium Google Android 15 allow list must be configured to not include artificial intelligence (AI) applications that process device data in the cloud, including Google Gemini. Sensitive DOD data could be exposed when an AI app processes device data in the cloud. SFRID: FMT_SMF.1.1 #8
V-267532 Medium Google Android 15 allow list must be configured to not include applications with the following characteristics: - Backs up MD data to non-DOD cloud servers (including user and application access to cloud backup services); - Transmits MD diagnostic data to non-DOD servers; - Voice assistant application if available when MD is locked; - Voice dialing application if available when MD is locked; - Allows synchronization of data or applications between devices associated with user; - Payment processing; - Allows unencrypted (or encrypted but not FIPS 140-2/140-3 validated) data sharing with other MDs or printers; and - Backs up its own data to a remote system. Requiring all authorized applications to be in an application allow list prevents the execution of any applications (e.g., unauthorized, malicious) that are not part of the allow list. Failure to configure an application allow list properly could allow unauthorized and malicious applications to be downloaded, installed, and executed on the...
V-267531 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to enforce an application installation policy by specifying an application allow list that restricts applications by the following characteristics: [selection: list of digital signatures, cryptographic hash values, names, application version]. The application allow list, in addition to controlling the installation of applications on the MD, must control user access/execution of all core and preinstalled applications, or the MD must provide an alternate method of restricting user access/execution to core and preinstalled applications. Core application: Any application integrated into the OS...
V-267530 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to enforce an application installation policy by specifying one or more authorized application repositories, including [selection: DOD-approved commercial app repository, MDM server, mobile application store]. Forcing all applications to be installed from authorized application repositories can prevent unauthorized and malicious applications from being installed and executed on mobile devices. Allowing such installations and executions could cause a compromise of DOD data accessible by these unauthorized/malicious applications. SFRID: FMT_SMF.1.1 #8
V-267529 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to not allow more than 10 consecutive failed authentication attempts. The more attempts an adversary has to guess a password, the more likely the adversary will enter the correct password and gain access to resources on the device. Setting a limit on the number of attempts mitigates this risk. Setting the limit at 10 or less gives authorized users the...
V-267528 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to lock the display after 15 minutes (or less) of inactivity. The screen lock timeout must be set to a value that helps protect the device from unauthorized access. Having a too-long timeout would increase the window of opportunity for adversaries who gain physical access to the mobile device through loss, theft, etc. Such devices are much more likely to be...
V-267527 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to not allow passwords that include more than four repeating or sequential characters. Password strength is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting guessing and brute force attacks. Passwords that contain repeating or sequential characters are significantly easier to guess than those that do not contain repeating or sequential characters. Therefore, disallowing repeating or sequential characters increases password strength and...
V-267526 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to enforce a minimum password length of six characters. Password strength is a measure of the effectiveness of a password in resisting guessing and brute force attacks. The ability to crack a password is a function of how many attempts an adversary is permitted, how quickly an adversary can perform each attempt, and the size of the password space....
V-267525 Medium Google Android 15 must be configured to enable audit logging. Audit logs enable monitoring of security-relevant events and subsequent forensics when breaches occur. To be useful, administrators must have the ability to view the audit logs. SFRID: FMT_SMF.1.1 #32
V-267562 Low Google Android 15 must allow only the administrator (MDM) to perform the following management function: Disable Phone Hub. It may be possible to transfer work profile data on a DOD Android device to an unauthorized Chromebook if the user has the same Google Account set up on the Chromebook and in the work profile on the Android device. This may result in the exposure of sensitive DOD data....
V-267559 Low Android 15 devices must be configured to enable Common Criteria (CC) Mode. The CC Mode feature is a superset of other features and behavioral changes that are mandatory MDFPP requirements. If CC mode is not implemented, the device will not be operating in the NIAP-certified compliant CC Mode of operation. CC Mode implements the following behavioral/functional changes: How the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi...
V-267558 Low Android 15 devices must be configured to disable the use of third-party keyboards. Many third-party keyboard applications are known to contain malware. SFRID: FMT_SMF.1.1 #47
V-267545 Low Google Android 15 must be configured to disable all Bluetooth profiles except for HSP (Headset Profile), HFP (Hands-Free Profile), SPP (Serial Port Profile), A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile), AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile), and PBAP (Phone Book Access Profile). Some Bluetooth profiles provide the capability for remote transfer of sensitive DOD data without encryption or otherwise do not meet DOD IT security policies and therefore must be disabled. SFRID: FMT_SMF_EXT.1.1/BLUETOOTH BT-8
V-267537 Low Google Android 15 must be configured to display the DOD advisory warning message at startup or each time the user unlocks the device.