ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on Android's built-in security mechanisms at the platform level as well as its application layers. It provides an understanding of the platform and application layers to demonstrate the security features provided by Android. The chapter introduces the reader to different Interprocess Communication mechanisms used by Android application components. Android developers have included security in the design of the platform itself. This is visible in the two-tiered security model used by Android applications and enforced by Android. When a new application is installed on the Android platform, Android assigns it a unique user id (UID) and a group id. Android applications run in separate processes that are owned by their respective UID and thus sandboxed from each other. Android permissions are also displayed to the end-user when downloading applications from the "official" Android market. The Android platform suffers from "traditional" security concerns, just like any other mobile operating systems.
