Hey guys, I’m looking into buying a refurbished Google Pixel 5 (I have couple of options between amazon and other stores), however I’m not entirely sure about the longevity of a refurbished phone.
Positive reviews are often left by people who just bought the phone, but most of the negative reviews I found were from people who used it for more than couple of months and it concerns me.
Price is good, I’m looking specifically into a Pixel 5 because of the size which is much smaller than my Galaxy Note 9 that I find really uncomfortable to use.
Thank you!
Am I naïve for thinking that manufacturers stopping support for devices, then claiming it affects your safety, is just to sell more phones?
Yes you are.
Vulnerabilities are constantly being found in the software stack used by Android, if you are running vulnerable software you’re increasing the likelihood of some malicious app (or website, file, etc…) taking advantage of the vulnerability. The consequences of vulnerability vary from being able to fingerprint your device when it’s not supposed, to escalateling privileges to root or even kernel mode. Although the later are significantly rarer.
and had zero security issues in a dozen years
That you know of… If the vulnerability is successfully exploited, the likelihood of you noticing are close to zero.
You could always flash a custom ROM to install the latest security patches, but you would still be missing the security updates for all the closed source components (such as the bootloader, device drivers, etc…). Not to mention all the security implications (good or bad) that comes with installing custom ROMs.
The consequences of vulnerability vary from being able to fingerprint your device when it’s not supposed, to escalateling privileges to root or even kernel mode
I’ll not pretend I understand the consequences 😂
What does that mean for the average user?
From tracking your to full access of your phone and capable of doing anything without you knowing it or lifting a finger.
Tracking me happens all the time. Also I’m old but tech savvy so I’d know if someone had any access to my phone.
I’m still not sure what I should worry about?
They could steal all of your logins. This includes things like bank accounts. Your phone could be used as part of a botnet to commit criminal acts. They could shorten your battery life and use up your data plan by mining crypto in the background. You know, just like any other compromised computer.
