If EngineerMode shows up you may want to consider rooting and removing. From there, tap the menu on the right side of the screen (the three dots) and enable Show System Apps. Luckily that's become much easier since EngineerMode was discovered.įirst check to see if your device is affected: Open the Settings app, then tap on Apps. If you want to get rid of those debug apps now you'll have to take matters into your own hands, and that requires rooting your device since these are system apps that can't be deleted without root access. Those concerned about the security of their OnePlus devices may not be content to wait around for an OTA update to Oxygen OS. (OnePlus has yet to respond on the issue of LogKit.) OnePlus said in a statement that, while they don't consider EngineerMode to be a critical problem, it will be eliminated in an update in the near future.

Protecting yourself requires rooting around Logging on Android devices is disabled by default, but Alderson says that if an attacker enabled it 'he could have everything.' Worse still, that could be done remotely, Alderson said, through the use of attacks like Cloak and Dagger. In this case, LogKit captures hardware logs, lists of running processes, usage statistics, and even media (photos, video, etc.) stored on the device. The LogKit app is, like EngineerMode, designed for debugging purposes.

The bigger risk comes from the second app Alderson discovered: OnePlusLogKit.

SEE: Android beats iOS and Windows as least-secure mobile OS, Nokia report finds (TechRepublic)ĮngineerMode is a risk, but it isn't critical-an attacker needs to gain physical access to the device in order to enable its dangerous components. The Hacker News has confirmed its presence on OnePlus devices dating back to the OnePlus 2, which means the company has been releasing devices without removing the root-granting app since at least 2015. The app is used in Qualcomm devices to test hardware and is typically uninstalled prior to the device leaving for sale. The first of two debug apps found on OnePlus devices is EngineerMode.

Oneplus one qxdm ue settings