touch-packages team mailing list archive

[Jamie Strandboge <jamie@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Both pulseaudio and the camera service processes are out-of-process from
the app and therefore not themselves governed by app lifecycle. If app
lifecycle made sure to stop recording of audio and/or video when the app
is backgrounded, then a visual cue is arguably not required (see my note
below). If recording is not stopping when the app is backgrounded, we
need to let the user know (eg, like what we do with the dialer now).
Either route is fine from a security perspective, however, allowing the
continuation of recording in the background with a visual cue might
provide more utility.

Note: I personally feel we should be giving a visual cue (even if its
temporary (consider full screen app)) when any recording is happening--
this is subject for debate and needs design input.

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1224756

Title:
  Pulseaudio should integrate with trust-store

Status in Canonical System Image:
  In Progress
Status in pulseaudio package in Ubuntu:
  In Progress

Bug description:
  Currently the 'audio' policy group allows access to pulseaudio which
  allows apps to use the microphone and eavesdrop on the user.
  Pulseaudio needs to be modified to use trust-store, like location-
  service does. Integrating with trust-store means that when an app
  tries use the microphone via pulseaudio, pulseaudio will contact
  trust-store, the trust-store will prompt the user ("Foo wants to use
  the microphone. Is this ok? Yes|No"), optionally cache the result and
  return the result to pulseaudio. In this manner the user is given a
  contextual prompt at the time of access by the app. Using caching this
  decision can be remembered the next time. If caching is used, there
  should be a method to change the decision in settings.

  Targeting to T-Series for now, since the trust-store is not in a
  reusable form yet.

  Original description:
  David and the security team (inspired by an observation from Rick) discussed that when recording, pulseaudio should somehow unobtrusively show the user that it is recording. The easiest thing to do would be for pulseaudio to alert indicator-sound which would then turn its icon red (similar to indicator-message turning blue with new messages). Marking 'high' because apps with access to pulseaudio can currently eavedrop on users. If the app is allowed to do networking (the default for apps), then it can ship that information off to a server somewhere.

  Note 1, the alert to indicator-sound must happen via the out of
  process pulseaudio server and not the confined app itself to be
  effective.

  Note 2, we should consider how to enforce this for foreground apps
  only. Application lifecycle should probably handle this for 13.10
  (apps are suspended if not in foreground or if the screensaver is on),
  but we don't want an app on the converged device to record in the
  background when the user isn't paying attention. Example eavesdropping
  attack: start recording only when the screensaver is on (perhaps
  inhibiting the screensaver during recording would be enough).

  <https://wiki.ubuntu.com/AccountPrivileges#Phone>: "On the phone, if
  an app tries to access your ... microphone ... or video recording,
  this should be subject to permission. “Video recording” should be
  separate from “Camera” so that an app does not need two permissions
  when recording video, one for the camera and one for the microphone.
  If an app has permission to record video, it should have access to the
  microphone whenever it is recording video..."

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