Talking about “Unlocking OEM Bootloader settings” as a very crucial factor in our phone use experience and security, we will be learning about how it is important to keep things as they are. OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) Settings for bootladers can get things messed up when tampered with!
The first time I saw the acronym ‘OEM’, it reminded me of “Organisation of the Emele Meles in Kenya”. So I hardly will forget about OEM which sound like one big grammar. ‘sha’, it just simply means original equipment manufacturer. Let me warn you carefully ‘eh’, don’t ever have anything to do with this OEM thing in your settings area, if you do, then your phone might become vulnerable to cyber attacks. If you use banking or business app you need to take note.
Why Unlock OEM For Bootloader Setting?
There are circumstances under which some people allow their OEM to be tampered with, and that’s what I will explain to you now! Are you ready? Alright, let’s roll! Do you realize that almost everyday we hear about new phone release? Tecno this, Samsung that and xyz and so on. Back then, you just buy a phone and keep using it until you are tired. You keep receiving updates from the manufacturers whenever it is available. Unlike before, we all now have to be changing phones like tooth brush because we want to have latest features. So if you still want to have your android phone upgraded from say 4.4 ‘Kitkat” to 7.0 “Noughet”, your phone technician will simply tell you to upgrade. But this is not safe by the way because if you check under setting, you will see the instructions there.
Vulnerability And Security Issues
The moment the “Allow OEM Unlocking” is enabled, if that phone is not vulnerable, either one or the other will be: Either your financial transaction security or yourself, but “God forbid bad thing”. There are processes involved in upgrading your phone in the wrong and potentially harmful way, and that is when your bootloader is unlocked or your phone rooted for the purpose of installing a third-party or customized ROMs.
Read Also: Rooting Android Smartphone-All You Should Know!
Unsafe Upgrade
Upgrading an android phone for the purpose of enjoying better features is not a good idea as I have emphasized already. If you are using an old android phone that no longer receive updates from the original manufacturer, its better to just use the phone like that, except if there are other upgrades that does not require rooting or unlocking the bootloader. The bootloader is simply an environment in your phone’s software that is open to just any kind of modification as soon as it is rooted or unlocked.
