How to Secure your Android Device After Rooting

Some people will tell you that your Android becomes less secure after rooting. This isn’t true. In fact, your device can become significantly more secure after rooting.

Today, we’re going to teach you some of the most effective ways to boost Android security after rooting.

Backup Everything

First and most importantly, you need to backup everything. The more frequently you back up everything, the less likely you are to lose everything.

This is particularly important if you’re frequently messing around with ROMs or pushing your rooted Android to the limits. This is also a good security tip whether you’re on a rooted or non-rooted device.

If you’ve rooted your Android to delete bloatware, then you may need to delete items from integral Android folders. There are apps that will easily and safely delete bloatware for you in seconds. However, manual bloatware removal can cause you to accidentally delete a crucial system app.

In any case, use a popular app like Titanium (a root-only app) to save all your files. If everything goes wrong, you can recover your phone’s content in seconds.

Control Root Access Privileges

After you root your phone, your apps will function as normal. That’s because you haven’t granted any of your apps root access.

Granting an app root access can make an app significantly more useful. However, it also allows an app to have greater control over – and access to – your device. You want to give root access to trusted apps. You don’t want to give root access to random or untrusted apps – like that free mobile game you just downloaded.

The best way to control root access is by using an app like SuperSU. SuperSU lets you manage root access privileges. You can choose which apps get root access. You can also revoke root access. The main benefit of SuperSU, however, is that you’ll get a notification every time an app requests root access on your device.

Check App Permissions

Many people are surprised to learn which apps have which permissions. Facebook, for example, is infamous for requesting access permissions for virtually everything on your device.

Whether you’re using a rooted or non-rooted device, controlling app permissions is crucial. Go to Settings > Apps and check which permissions each app has.

There’s nothing wrong with an app like Facebook Messenger having access to your microphone and video camera. Facebook Messenger depends on these functions to make voice or video calls.

However, it’s important to be suspicious if an app like Free HD Solitaire 9000 requests access to your contacts, video camera, and microphone.

Oddly enough, we caught Facebook last week requesting superuser access on certain rooted Android devices.

It’s easy to fall victim to “permission creep”. Let’s face it: we’ve all installed apps without carefully checking the permissions. I get it. Check your permissions today to secure your life.

Deactivate USB Debugging

USB debugging allows the user to establish a secure connection between the computer and the Android device. If you rooted your phone using a PC – like if you downloaded One Click Root – then you already turned USB debugging on.

However, it’s not generally a good idea to leave USB debugging on. It can negatively impact your device’s security. Turning on USB debugging allows external devices to have systemwide access to your device’s software. If you don’t need USB debugging anymore, then turn it off.

Avoid Shady Online App Stores

After rooting your device, it’s easier to download apps from anywhere on the internet.

That doesn’t mean, however, that you should download apps from anywhere on the internet.

Stick to trusted app stores like the Google Play Store and Amazon App Store. Or, only download .apk files from trusted sources. Avoid shady, low-quality app stores – particularly ones advertising free versions of premium apps. Apps downloaded from these app stores might look identical to the normal app – but they come loaded with keyloggers, viruses, and other threats.

Update your System Regularly

Your Android will no longer receive over the air (OTA) updates after rooting. However, there are still easy ways to upgrade your Android.

In fact, you can upgrade your Android sooner than you would be able to on a non-rooted device. You can download updates as soon as they’re released by Google.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to go through that hassle, you can temporarily unroot your device (using, say One Click Root’s unroot function), wait for the OTA update to arrive on your device, and then re-root your device using the same software.

By following the tips above, you can enjoy a significantly safer experience while using a rooted Android!