New versions of CyanogenMod won’t give Android root access by default

A good portion of Android users root their devices to get around restrictions built into the operating system. CyanogenMod, a very popular third party Android ROM, enabled root by default but now the developers of that ROM are rethinking that setup.

Enabling root access on any Android device opens up a wide range of features that might not normally be available but it doesn’t come without risk. Malicious software may have an easier time getting around Android security features when root access is enabled. Because of those risks the CyanogenMod development team has decided that it will no longer enable root access by default in its ROM.

The change will start with CyanogenMod Version 9. From that version forward root access will not be enabled by default though it will still exist as an option for those who really want the elevated privileges. For most users, the whole point of going through the trouble to install a custom ROM on their device is to get root access, so it seems kind of silly to make this optional instead of default.

The blog post from CyanogenMod reads,

“On a default CyanogenMod installation, root usage will have to be explicitly enabled by the user. This means that the user is fully aware that any application that uses root may perform actions that could compromise security, stability and data integrity. Once enabled, the process mirrors that of the current process, apps that request root will be flagged by the SuperUser.apk and the user will have to grant selective access.”

I personally own an Android phone but I haven’t gone through the trouble to install a custom ROM. Do any of you folks have CyanogenMod on your Android device? Did you install it specifically to get root access or was there another reason to put it on your phone or tablet? Let us know if you use a custom Android ROM and how you feel about this policy change in the comments.