DivestOS

DivestOS is an operating system based on the Android mobile platform. It is a soft fork of LineageOS that aims to increase security and privacy with support for end-of-life devices. As much as possible, it removes unnecessary proprietary Android components and includes only free-software.

DivestOS
DivestOS homescreen on a Fairphone 4
DivestOS homescreen on a Fairphone 4
DeveloperTad
OS familyAndroid (Linux)
Working stateCurrent
Source modelOpen source
Initial release31 December 2014 (2014-12-31)
Latest release"2023-08". / 8 August 2023 (2023-08-08)
Repositorygitlab.com/divested-mobile
Marketing targetPrivacy/Security-focused smartphones
Update methodOver-the-air (OTA) or locally
Package manager
PlatformsARM
Kernel typeMonolithic (Linux)
LicenseGPL
Official websitedivestos.org

DivestOS builds are signed with release-keys so bootloaders may be re-locked on many devices. An automated CVE patcher is used to patch the kernels against many known vulnerabilities.

DivestOS includes few default applications. F-Droid is included with options for selecting several custom F-Droid repositories as well.[1][2] DivestOS supports using Orbot and Tor Browser as privacy-enhancing features.[3]

History

The DivestOS project began in 2014, with the first properly signed builds being released in 2015.[4]

The project is the work of one primary developer with contributions from numerous other developers.[2]

Public release of DivestOS was announced on F-Droid forums in June 2020.[5]

Supported devices

DivestOS primarily supports devices that have been supported by LineageOS.[6]

History

In February 2022, TechTracker.in said DivestOS is one of few custom ROMs focusing on security and privacy, with monthly and incremental updates.[7]

GNU/Linux.ch Linux and Freie Software News called DivestOS "relatively new and ambitious" and said it supports many devices, both newer and older.[8]

DevsJournal called DivestOS 18.1 one of the best custom ROMs for the One Plus One phone.[9]

DivestOS' Hypatia malware scanner for Android, and how to use their F-Droid repository, was reviewed by Gadget Hacks in March 2021.[10] In November 2021, the Kuketz Security blog said Hypatia was the only malware scanner without tracking libraries of several they reviewed, but said its functionality was limited.[11]

In March 2023, the 2022 Free Software Foundation Award for Outstanding New Free Software Contributor went to Tad (SkewedZeppelin), chief developer of the DivestOS project.[12][13]

In a review in June 2023, the Kuketz Security blog said DivestOS "is so far the only custom ROM that has managed to fully document all network connections – at this point they deserve a lot of praise for it", and DivestOS "leaves an extremely privacy-friendly impression." He stated  "DivestOS does not support Google Play Services," which must be taken into account, and the project is a "One-man army". He concluded DivestOS is not only for users with older devices, but also "those who value privacy and security (assuming they have an up-to-date device)".[14]

See also

References
  1. "DivestOS Mobile". divestos.org. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  2. "About - DivestOS Mobile". divestos.org. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  3. "Privacy Policy - DivestOS Mobile". divestos.org. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  4. "History - DivestOS Mobile". divestos.org. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  5. "DivestOS: long term device support with enhanced privacy and security". F-Droid Forum. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  6. "Devices - DivestOS Mobile". divestos.org. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  7. "DivestOS - best Android OS custom rom for privacy and security". Tech Tracker. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  8. "Freie Fahrt für freie Androiden!". 23 December 2021. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  9. "Best Custom ROMs for OnePlus One (Bacon) - DevsJournal". 26 July 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  10. "4 New & Noteworthy Indie Android Apps of the Week — March 26 Edition". Gadget Hacks. 27 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  11. Kuketz. "Trügerische Sicherheit: Virenscanner-Apps sind schlichtweg überflüssig (Deceptive security: virus scanner apps are simply superfluous)". Kuketz IT Security.
  12. "Free Software Awards winners announced: Eli Zaretskii, Tad (SkewedZeppelin), GNU Jami — Free Software Foundation — Working together for free software". www.fsf.org. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  13. Dee, Katie (20 March 2023). "The recipients of the 2022 Free Software Awards have been announced". SD Times. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  14. Kuketz, Mike (1 June 2023). "DivestOS: Privacy-friendly and increased security – Custom ROMs Part 5 (DivestOS: Datenschutzfreundlich und erhöhte Sicherheit – Custom-ROMs Teil5)". Kuketz IT-Security. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
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