I am a semi-tech-literate user concerned primarily with security with privacy being a secondary goal.
I like the idea of GrapheneOS, but am unsure if it is theore secure option over stock Google Android. I already trust Google as I use it’s drive product. In addition, I use Windows 11.
My question is, although these two companies are invasive when it comes to privacy, is it wrong to assume that when hardened, they provided OS are more secure than GrapheneOS?
When it comes to mobile OSes, Graphene has a bunch of hardening that stock android just doesn’t have. If you’re after security above all else, Graphene is absolutely what you should be running and not stock anything, generally. As for Windows, you might want to take a look at the beerisgood hardening guide.
GrapheneOS has excellent reputation in the security world, with contribution to AOSP, Linux and other projects. It has developed not only GrapheneOS, but also hardened_malloc, linux-hardened kernel (now maintained by someone else), Vanadium and security focused apps like the pdfviewer. The security feature set of GrapheneOS is unmatched and it can prioritize security and privacy over other aspects.
GrapheneOS implements a lot of security improvements over AOSP. It’s probably your best option for a secure operating system.
From my understanding GrapheneOS is basically as secure of a mobile OS as you can get. Its also super easy to use!