| ▲ | OEMpocalypse: Unprivileged Android app to root on Samsung, Xiaomi, others(calif.io) |
| 64 points by negura 8 hours ago | 28 comments |
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| ▲ | FrequentLurker 37 minutes ago | parent | next [-] |
| I wonder if there is a vulnerability that allows for toggling wireless adb. I have an LG with android 12 which technically should support wireless ADB but LG stripped the option from settings. Some say they stripped out the feature entirely. On top of that the USB port is damaged and doesnt accept data but still accepts power. So no wired adb either. |
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| ▲ | gorgmah 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| Slightly unrelated: is it relatively safe to root android phones nowadays or should I stick to the unrooted standard android?
The reason I'm asking is that I'm stuck with authy as a MFA code app, and would like to move to something that has both desktop and phone support, and my conclusion is I'd need to root my phone to get access to the actual MFA seeds (they don't allow exports to keep you stuck in their app). |
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| ▲ | throwa356262 2 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | Some apps such as Aegis allow exporting the MFA secrets. | | |
| ▲ | gorgmah an hour ago | parent [-] | | I think they allow importing from Authy but only on rooted phones. I missed the train to move away from Authy in 2024 and now the only non-root option is to regenerate the seed from every provider one by one.
As other commenters said, rooting my main phone would lock me out of banking apps.
I suppose I could find an old phone, sync from authy cloud, root it, and then migrate, but then generating new seeds is probably both safer and faster at that point. | | |
| ▲ | throwa356262 27 minutes ago | parent [-] | | Importing is usually not an issue, as you can always enter the secret manually. It is the exporting that is the problem. The secret looks something like this: ABCD EFGH .... (usually fairly short unless its google) |
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| ▲ | torben-friis 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | The main issue is that many apps will block rooted phones (banks, state apps and the like). Usually more trouble than it's worth. | |
| ▲ | izacus an hour ago | parent | prev [-] | | It was never particularly safe to root the phone - both because it drills a hole into the security model and because you don't have any good ways of verifying what apps asking for root actually do. Moreover, most of root tools and ROMs are rather poorly written and glued together with other forum scripts which you have no way of checking if they're not malware. (There are exceptions.) So no, "safe" it's not and never has been. The tradeoff might be worth it for you as a user though. > The reason I'm asking is that I'm stuck with authy as a MFA code app, and would like to move to something that has both desktop and phone support, and my conclusion is I'd need to root my phone to get access to the actual MFA seeds (they don't allow exports to keep you stuck in their app). The way to do that is to take the hit and recreate your 2FA codes in an opensource app like Aegis or Stratum. | | |
| ▲ | gorgmah an hour ago | parent [-] | | Thanks for the summary. I agree with you about 2FA, but it's still annoying, I was hoping I would find a lazier solution. |
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| ▲ | _ZeD_ 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| will the "exploit" app be available? asking for a friend :D |
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| ▲ | user_7832 13 minutes ago | parent | next [-] | | Depends on your phone, but for some qualcomm devices there was a vulnerability some time ago, iirc the OnePlus 15 has a dedicated thread on XDA. I also found this on XDA while trying to find the other exploit: https://xdaforums.com/t/the-holy-grail-universal-no-bl-root-... Side note, it's quite ironic, google being so heavily anti-root is forcing people to opt for root access via more hidden ways, making it easier to avoid root being detected. | |
| ▲ | yehoshuapw 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | would you install such a app (without compiling from source)? I would not trust it to not come with "friends" (but would love to verify and use) | | |
| ▲ | sureglymop 2 hours ago | parent [-] | | On an isolated test device for this purpose, yes. But otherwise, I would decompile it to look at it. |
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| ▲ | ece 31 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| You'd almost think supporting a phone for a longer amount of time might actually be better than trying to sell a new phone every year or two. |
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| ▲ | ArtTimeInvestor 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| A good security track record must be the most valuable company asset in history. Apple makes $200B per year from selling the iPhone alone. Plus the services they sell on it, plus deals like the one with Google, plus app store ads, plus cross-selling of other hardware ... I have one too. Not because I like the hardware too much. Pixel phones are much nicer, they don't wobble when you put them on a table. Not because I like the software too much. Android is much more to my liking with more freedom to customize it. But because I have the feeling Apple takes security more seriously. I wish there was some kind of security arena like there is LLM arena for AI. That gives hard facts about the security track record of phone manufacturers. |
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| ▲ | cromka an hour ago | parent | next [-] | | It's a bit ironic to think Apple takes security seriously when they infamously delivered ridiculous bugs like 2017 High Sierra root login, which they fixed and then accidentally unfixed again. What we're seeing is marketing/branding and a genuine for-show effort, all the while they do not audit their code outside some for-show technologies (Siri AI in the cloud). So the point I am making is that it's all observational bias. You want actual objective security, use GrapheneOS. And I'm saying this as an iPhone user. | |
| ▲ | throwa356262 an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | The issue is that Android is open while Apple seldom talks about their security issues. This might make Apple look like the more secure option but the reality may be different because Android is more scrutinised. If you are sceptical consider these examples: (1) some versions of Apple silicon have unpatchable security defects, (2) Apple at one point decided to not contact up to 500M users affected by a supply chain attack in China due to "language difficulties". | |
| ▲ | CGamesPlay 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | https://mashable.com/article/high-sierra-password-fix-apple-... > In the simplest of terms, with the bug, if you created a new APFS (Apple File System) encrypted volume on High Sierra, and set anything at all as the password hint, then your password was stored as the hint. In plain text. | | |
| ▲ | ArtTimeInvestor 2 hours ago | parent [-] | | I know Apple phones had bugs. Even worse bugs than the one you linked to. But Google phones had those too. That's why I said I "feel" like Apple takes security more seriously. And that I wish there were hard facts. Statistics of number of bugs by severity. Independently verified. | | |
| ▲ | izacus 2 hours ago | parent [-] | | Your post is essentially admitting that you're ignoring the bugs from the company you love and taking seriously form the company you don't. So the difference isn't about taking things "more seriously", but in the fact that you take marketing from Apple more seriously. That's not the same. (Note: There's plenty of proof that Apple does take security more seriously than Samsung, Xiaomi & Co. in the article, but your feelings aren't it.) | | |
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| ▲ | sschueller 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | Doesn't make a difference if Apple takes security more seriously if they bend like a rubber pole when the government comes asking... | | |
| ▲ | spacebanana7 an hour ago | parent [-] | | That depends on your threat model. Realistically intelligence agencies aren’t too interested in my grandma, but malware/scams/bloatware absolutely are. |
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| ▲ | rvz 7 hours ago | parent | prev [-] |
| What a disaster for Android. |
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| ▲ | ReptileMan 2 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | It is a feature. Every device should give root by mandate to the owner, the same way they have USB-C for phones. | |
| ▲ | LoganDark 5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | End users love these for rooting! (I sure would have.) | |
| ▲ | la_oveja 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | better see these in the open than in an israeli lab | | |
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