9.9. Data Storage Encryption

Optional for Android device implementations without a secure lock screen.

If the device implementation supports a secure lock screen as described in section 9.11.1, then the device MUST support data storage encryption of the application private data (/data partition), as well as the application shared storage partition (/sdcard partition) if it is a permanent, non-removable part of the device.

For device implementations supporting data storage encryption and with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) crypto performance above 50MiB/sec, the data storage encryption MUST be enabled by default at the time the user has completed the out-of-box setup experience. If a device implementation is already launched on an earlier Android version with encryption disabled by default, such a device cannot meet the requirement through a system software update and thus MAY be exempted.

Device implementations SHOULD meet the above data storage encryption requirement via implementing File Based Encryption (FBE).

9.9.1. Direct Boot

All devices MUST implement the Direct Boot mode APIs even if they do not support Storage Encryption. In particular, the LOCKED_BOOT_COMPLETED and ACTION_USER_UNLOCKED Intents must still be broadcast to signal Direct Boot aware applications that Device Encrypted (DE) and Credential Encrypted (CE) storage locations are available for user.

9.9.2. File Based Encryption

Device implementations supporting FBE:

• MUST boot up without challenging the user for credentials and allow Direct Boot aware apps to access to the Device Encrypted (DE) storage after the LOCKED_BOOT_COMPLETED message is broadcasted.
• MUST only allow access to Credential Encrypted (CE) storage after the user has unlocked the device by supplying their credentials (eg. passcode, pin, pattern or fingerprint) and the ACTION_USER_UNLOCKED message is broadcasted. Device implementations MUST NOT offer any method to unlock the CE protected storage without the user supplied credentials.
• MUST support Verified Boot and ensure that DE keys are cryptographically bound to the device's hardware root of trust.
• MUST support encrypting file contents using AES with a key length of 256-bits in XTS mode.
• MUST support encrypting file name using AES with a key length of 256-bits in CBC-CTS mode.
• MAY support alternative ciphers, key lengths and modes for file content and file name encryption, but MUST use the mandatorily supported ciphers, key lengths and modes by default.
• SHOULD make preloaded essential apps (e.g. Alarm, Phone, Messenger) Direct Boot aware.

The keys protecting CE and DE storage areas:

• MUST be cryptographically bound to a hardware-backed Keystore. CE keys must be bound to a user's lock screen credentials. If the user has specified no lock screen credentials then the CE keys MUST be bound to a default passcode.
• MUST be unique and distinct, in other words no user's CE or DE key may match any other user's CE or DE keys.

The upstream Android Open Source project provides a preferred implementation of this feature based on the Linux kernel ext4 encryption feature.

9.9.3. Full Disk Encryption

Device implementations supporting full disk encryption (FDE). MUST use AES with a key of 128-bits (or greater) and a mode designed for storage (for example, AES-XTS, AES-CBC-ESSIV). The encryption key MUST NOT be written to storage at any time without being encrypted. The user MUST be provided with the possibility to AES encrypt the encryption key, except when it is in active use, with the lock screen credentials stretched using a slow stretching algorithm (e.g. PBKDF2 or scrypt). If the user has not specified a lock screen credentials or has disabled use of the passcode for encryption, the system MUST use a default passcode to wrap the encryption key. If the device provides a hardware-backed keystore, the password stretching algorithm MUST be cryptographically bound to that keystore. The encryption key MUST NOT be sent off the device (even when wrapped with the user passcode and/or hardware bound key). The upstream Android Open Source project provides a preferred implementation of this feature based on the Linux kernel feature dm-crypt.