USB Manager

Stagenow - 2.6

Overview

The USB Manager (UsbMgr) controls which USB functions can be used on the device.

Android devices generally have one or more Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports that can be used for various purposes. A given USB port could implement "Host" mode, which is used to connect various USB peripherals (e.g. mice, keyboards, USB storage devices) to the Android device. A given USB port could implement "Peripheral" mode, which is used to connect the Android device to a Host, such as a PC. A given USB port could implement On The Go (OTG) support, which can act in either "Host" or "Peripheral" mode, based on the cable connected.

Main Functionality

  • Allow or prevent use of the following:
    • All modes and functions of USB
    • External USB storage devices
    • Connection to a PC via (Android Debug Bridge) ADB
    • All access by a PC to device storage via USB
    • Access by a PC to device storage using USB Mass Storage (UMS) via USB
    • Access by a PC to device storage using Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) via USB
    • Access by a PC to device storage using Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) via USB

USB Module Usage

Controls whether the use of USB module will be allowed. Setting this parm would cause all of the USB features to be enabled or disabled.

Parm Name: UsbModuleUsage

Option Name Description Device Group Requires
0 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) will cause no changes to be made as to whether or not the USB module can be used. This value will also cause other parms to be presented to allow individual USB functions to be controlled. All

OSX: 1.3+

MX: 4.2+

1 Enable This value will cause usage of the USB module to be allowed. This value will also cause other parms to be presented to allow individual USB functions to be controlled. All

OSX: 1.3+

MX: 4.2+

2 Disable This value will cause all usage of the USB module to be prevented. This value will also prevent other parms from being presented since individual USB functions cannot be used if all usage of the USB module is being prevented. All

OSX: 1.3+

MX: 4.2+

External Storage Enable/Disable

Controls whether the use of USB External Storage devices will be allowed. When allowed, a USB External Storage device could have to be connected via a USB port that supports Host mode or via an OTG USB port with an OTG adapter cable or OTG compliant storage device. Use of USB External Storage could represent a security risk since it could be used as a path to extract sensitive data from a device or to inject unwanted data or applications into a device.

Shown if: The "USB Module Usage" value is not "Disable"

Parm Name: UsbExternalStorageUsage

Option Name Description Device Group Requires
0 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) will cause no changes to be made as to whether or not use of USB External Storage will be allowed. A

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

1 Enable This value will cause use of USB External Storage to be allowed. A

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

2 Disable This value will cause use of USB External Storage to be prevented. A

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

ADB Enable/Disable

Controls whether Android Debug Bridge (ADB) mode can be enabled on the device. When allowed, a PC could be connected to the device through a USB port that supports Peripheral mode or by using a USB "on the go" cable. Once connected, an ADB command line tool could allow communication between the PC and the Android device for copying files, installing apps, running shell commands, etc. Use of ADB could represent a security risk since it could be used as a path to extract sensitive data from a device, to inject unwanted data or applications into a device, or to remove or modify the operation of important applications on a device.

Shown if: The "USB Module Usage" value is not "Disable"

Parm Name: UsbADBUsage

Option Name Description Device Group Requires
0 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) will cause no change to settings on the device; any previous setting will be retained. All

OSX: 1.3+

MX: 4.2+

1 Enable Allows ADB mode to be enabled on the device. All

OSX: 1.3+

MX: 4.2+

2 Disable Prevents ADB mode from being enabled on the device. All

OSX: 1.3+

MX: 4.2+

USB Storage Enable/Disable

Controls whether the use of any direct method of accessing device storage from a PC via USB is allowed. This controls the use of USB Mass Storage (UMS), Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) and Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP). Does not control the use of ADB mode, which is controlled separately.

When these modes are allowed, a PC could be connected to the device via a USB port that supports Peripheral mode or using an "on-the-go" (OTG) USB port. Once connected, such a PC could browse exposed portions of the device file system, copy files to or from the device, delete files, etc. Use of these modes could represent a security risk since it could be used as a path to extract sensitive data from a device, to inject unwanted data or applications into a device, or to delete important information from a device.

Note: This parameter is the only means to enable/disable MTP and PTP modes on Group B devices.

Shown if: The "USB Module Usage" value is not "Disable"

Parm Name: UsbAllAccessDeviceStorageUsage

Option Name Description Device Group Requires
0 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) will cause no change to settings on the device; any previous setting will be retained. All

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

1 Enable Allows access to device storage from a PC via USB. This value will also prevent other parms from being presented since individual modes cannot be controlled if all modes are being allowed. All

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

2 Disable Prevents access to device storage from a PC via USB. This value will also prevent other parms from being presented since individual modes cannot be controlled if all modes are being prevented. All

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

Access Storage via UMS

Controls whether the use of USB Mass Storage (UMS) is allowed. When this mode is allowed, a PC could be connected to the device via a USB port that supports Peripheral mode or via an OTG USB port. Once connected, such a PC could browse exposed portions of the device file system, copy files to or from the device, delete files, or even format an entire storage volume. Use of this mode could represent a security risk since it could be used as a path to extract sensitive data from a device, to inject unwanted data or applications into a device, or to delete important information from a device.

Shown if: The "USB Module Usage" value is not "Disable" *AND* the "Access device storage from PC via USB" value is not "Enable" or "Disable"

Parm Name: UsbUMSAccessDeviceStorageUsage

Option Name Description Device Group Requires
0 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) will cause no changes to be made as to whether or not access to the device storage from a PC via USB UMS can be used. A

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

1 Enable This value will cause access to the device storage from a PC via USB UMS to be allowed. A

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

2 Disable This value will cause access to the device storage from a PC via USB UMS to be prevented. A

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

Access Storage via MTP

The is the On/Off switch for the use of Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) on the device. When this mode is enabled, a PC can connect to the device through a USB port that supports Peripheral mode or the "on-the-go" specification. Once connected, such a PC could browse exposed portions of the device file system, copy files to or from the device, or delete files. Use of this mode could represent a security risk since it could be used as a path to extract sensitive data from a device, to inject unwanted data or applications into a device, or to delete important information from a device.

Note: This parameter is not supported on Group B devices; use the USB Storage Enable/Disable parameter instead.

Shown if: The "USB Module Usage" value is not "Disable" *AND* the "Access device storage from PC via USB" value is not "Enable" or "Disable"

Parm Name: UsbMTPAccessDeviceStorageUsage

Option Name Description Device Group Requires
0 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) will cause no changes to be made as to whether or not access to the device storage from a PC via USB MTP can be used. A

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

1 Enable This value will cause access to the device storage from a PC via USB MTP to be allowed. A

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

2 Disable This value will cause access to the device storage from a PC via USB MTP to be prevented. A

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

Access Storage via PTP

This is the On/Off switch for the use of Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) on the device. When this mode is enabled, a PC can connect to the device through a USB port that supports Peripheral mode or the "on-the-go" specification. Once connected, such a PC could browse exposed portions of the device file system, copy files to or from the device, or delete files. Use of this mode could represent a security risk since it could be used as a path to extract sensitive data from a device, to inject unwanted data or applications into a device, or to delete important information from a device.

Note: This parameter is not supported on Group B devices; use the USB Storage Enable/Disable parameter instead.

Shown if: The "USB Module Usage" value is not "Disable" *AND* the "Access device storage from PC via USB" value is not "Enable" or "Disable"

Parm Name: UsbPTPAccessDeviceStorageUsage

Option Name Description Device Group Requires
0 Do not change This value (or the absence of this parm from the XML) will cause changes to be made as to whether or not access to the device storage from a PC via USB PTP can be used. A

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

1 Enable This value will cause access to the device storage from a PC via USB PTP to be allowed. A

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+

2 Disable This value will cause access to the device storage from a PC via USB PTP to be prevented. A

OSX: 4.1+

MX: 4.2+