Cucu’s Self-Defense Guide is an open-source guide for ordinary users who want to protect their devices and accounts from common threats.
It focuses on practical security hygiene rather than absolute guarantees.
You don’t have to be a hacker, but you should understand basic security risks and how to reduce them.
Account compromise and device compromise are different problems. Start by checking accounts first.
Tracking can occur across multiple layers: network, application, and account systems.
Location-based tracking
Online tracking
App-based tracking
Possible signs of malware activity include unusual battery drain, overheating, or abnormal network usage. These are indicators, not proof of compromise.
Modern Android systems provide built-in privacy indicators:
These mechanisms help detect common spyware behavior but do not guarantee full protection.
On Android 11 and later, storage access is restricted using scoped storage.
Applications cannot freely access all files by default.
Some applications may request elevated storage permissions (“All files access”). These should be reviewed carefully.
Settings → Privacy → Special App Access → All Files Access
Remove permissions for applications you do not trust or recognize.
If you must use applications that require high permissions, isolation reduces exposure risk.
Tools such as Shelter can create isolated work profiles on Android devices.
Isolation reduces risk but does not eliminate it.
All software, including operating systems, kernels, and central processing units, may contain vulnerabilities.
In practice, users cannot reliably determine whether a specific vulnerability is being exploited against them.
These practices significantly reduce exposure to common threats but do not eliminate risk.
Security is context-dependent, and different users may adopt different threat models based on their needs.
Security is not a fixed state but an ongoing process of reducing exposure and managing risk.