Date of Award

5-1-2016

Document Type

Thesis (Undergraduate)

Department or Program

Department of Computer Science

First Advisor

Charles Palmer

Abstract

Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world. Android holds a marketshare of 82% with iOS, its nearest rival, managing a distant 13.9%. Android’s unparalleled ubiquity makes it a popular target for malware and malvertising. Specifically, Android browsers have been targeted because many users spend great durations of time browsing the Internet. Unfortunately, as ways to track, fingerprint, and exploit unsuspecting users have increased, Browsing Anonymity and Security (BASE) has contrastingly stalled. Third party apps seeking to displace the oft-maligned stock browser tend to focus on user privacy and defer malware defense to default operating system protections. This thesis introduces a novel browser - Congo. Congo’s recursive definition, Congo’s Obeism Negates Gentile Occurrences, hints at an augmented browser with a hardened sandbox(malware deterrent) and reinforced privacy protection (malvertising deterrent). Importantly, Congo requires no kernel modification thus making it readily available to Android OS versions later than Froyo. A reference mechanism, by the name Kinshasa, underpins the integrity and security of Congo.

Comments

Originally posted in the Dartmouth College Computer Science Technical Report Series, number TR2016-800.

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