Information
Disable Location Services when not in use.
Rationale:
Location Services allows applications such as Maps and Internet websites to gather and use data indicating the user's location. The user's location is determined using available information from cellular network data, local Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth and GPS. If the user turns off Location Services, the user will be prompted to turn it back on again the next time any application tries to use this feature.
Disabling location services reduces the capability of an attacker to determine or track the user's location via websites, locally installed applications or other means without user's consent. Thus, it should be disabled when not in use.
Note: Location service is very important for tracking your lost device if the device data is not disabled. Make a judicious call and decide what works best for you or in your environment.
NOTE: Nessus has not performed this check. Please review the benchmark to ensure target compliance.
Solution
Follow the below steps to disable Location Services:
* Tap System Settings Gear Icon.
* Scroll to Personal.
* Tap Location.
* Toggle it to Off position.
Impact:
Each time an application needs location data, the user activity would be interrupted to enable the location services.
Another impact could be on finding your lost device. If the device is lost and the location services are disabled, you cannot use remote locate services such as Android Device Manager.