[Q] Will Asus ever allow CIFS to be enabled? - Eee Pad Transformer Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

The ability to mount Windows shares and read/write is a huge benefit. However you need root to do this. I hear the B70 models have a different key, so regular rooting methods dont work. I understand they had reasons to lock it, but now you limit huge benefit. Will they enable it on their stock stuff eventually?

Android devices by default are not designed to have their file systems capable of being manipulated remotely for security and stability reasons. It's the same reason why root access is not available by default.
These modifications void your warranty because Android is licensed out to the end user as an embedded firmware, and not designed as a user-installable client or server OS. Modifying the OS for unintended usage like a Samba server opens up the device to all sorts of mishaps due to the lack of security gained through rooting, and manufacturers do not want to take responsibility for that.

Using ES File Explorer i can read/write to SMB shares.

dude2k5 said:
The ability to mount Windows shares and read/write is a huge benefit. However you need root to do this. I hear the B70 models have a different key, so regular rooting methods dont work. I understand they had reasons to lock it, but now you limit huge benefit. Will they enable it on their stock stuff eventually?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it will never happen unless Android as a whole get FUSE embedded directly, and even then that just means there are additional tools to prefent horrific lockups.
The problem is that Kernel level filesystems do not react well suddenly being dropped, stale mount point result in jammed native processes and all sorts of bother. Given that SMB over a network can (and does) drop out whenever it feels like it the filesystem<-> SMB mapping is never goign to pass muster on a commercial mobile device.
That said there is no reason you can't have an SMB client (Like ES explorer) that (Much like an FTP client) simply acts as an agent for recovering files. But apps that normally access local files would not be able to "see" files on an SMB share until they were transferred to the tablet.
Hmmm, that said... most people here are talking about "streaming". You could write an SMB client (Like ES explorer) that then opens up a simple http-server on 127.0.0.1 on an unprivileged port then translate that into an SMB client get... though I don't know how you'd do an index other than with a web browser. Hmmm

Related

remote

I have a focus wondering if there's a way to access the phone from a web browser. Like what you can do to the android with a program called remote desktop. Wondering if its possible or not. Tried doing it stock got nowhere gave me page cant be found. Figure i give it a shot anyway
That depends what you mean by "access the phone" but yes, there are web server apps (homebrew only, the official APIs don't allow server sockets for some reason). Root Webserver (linked in my signature) is the newest one, providing full access to the phone's filesystem, but requires elevated permissions (typically from WP7 Root Tools or a fully-unlocked custom ROM) in order to use it.
If you're looking for an app to remotely drive your phone from the PC through a web browser, I don't think anybody has written such a thing yet. I'm not sure why you'd want to do this though, in all honesty.
If you're looking for an actual Remote Dekstop app (as in, an app that uses the Remote Desktop Protocol to allow you to remotely log into and view/control a Windows computer) there are several such apps on the WP7 marketplace. I use one called "RemoteDesktop" (there's no space) and it works quite well.

Why is Samsung Knox bad?

This is just some random thoughts as at the moment, I'm not for one or the other.
I like rooting and experimenting with different ROMs as much as the next guy, but when I read about Samsung Knox, I think I like it too.
With Knox, I can finally saved all my private data in a Knox container and never worry about it falls into the wrong hands.
I never used any password manager like Keepass on my phone so far, it was because I never knew if the app I just installed yesterday would sip out my passwords and quietly pass them to a remote server without my knowledge. How do I know after I unlock Keepass that another app wouldn't suck out all my passwords? I don't.
Same for other personal documents that I scanned and stored on my phone. Without Knox, I will never know if they stay only on my phone.
I wish we can have Knox and also can root with impunity
Did I understand it correctly?
Thanks for any inputs.
Keepass saves passwords in an aes256 encrypted file and runs with a localized secure enviroment (though I'm not sure on the details of this security). As an open source program this can easily be tested however. As a closed source program, Knox (or any number of other password managers) are much harder to test against exploits. I know exploits have obviously been found and fixed by the Keepass team, as with any security software. However I've never seen a good reason to mistrust Keepass over other password managers.
As for the details of Knox, I can't say. But from what I've read it seems like container based encryption. There are other container encryption apps but I don't know much of anything about them. I just use my laptop for that.
Remember, unless your whole device is encrypted, unlocking the encrypted container and viewing the files within will leave traces in the file system which can be pieced together by a competant snoop. Since mobiles are easily stolen compared to other computers, this needs to be kept in mind when working with secure documents.
E_Phather said:
Keepass saves passwords in an aes256 encrypted file and runs with a localized secure enviroment (though I'm not sure on the details of this security). As an open source program this can easily be tested however. As a closed source program, Knox (or any number of other password managers) are much harder to test against exploits. I know exploits have obviously been found and fixed by the Keepass team, as with any security software. However I've never seen a good reason to mistrust Keepass over other password managers.
As for the details of Knox, I can't say. But from what I've read it seems like container based encryption. There are other container encryption apps but I don't know much of anything about them. I just use my laptop for that.
Remember, unless your whole device is encrypted, unlocking the encrypted container and viewing the files within will leave traces in the file system which can be pieced together by a competant snoop. Since mobiles are easily stolen compared to other computers, this needs to be kept in mind when working with secure documents.
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Thanks for the comment. When I tried Keepass on my PC, as soon as I enter the master password, all passwords are visible. So I just assumed that any malware running in the background can suck them all out and ship them 'home'. With knox, if I understand correctly, nothing can go out once it's in the container. Nothing can get into the container from outside the container either. I'm already using Android whole disk encryption, but that doesn't prevent data from being 'sucked' out without our knowledge when we are using the device. It's good only to prevent data from being accessed if we lost the device.
I use Truecrypt container on my PC, but once we unlock the container, everything is visible by the whole system. Unlike Knox container. So I think Knox does have its value.
some keyloggers can read the clipboard data of password managers (this is why a number of secure inputs dont allow the pasting of passkeys), and I suppose it is possible to intercept the video data and essentially send screenshot data. This is beyond the real strength of a password manager. The Knox idea of keeping it in the container yet reading it is interesting. Do you know of a desktop equivalent? I had previously thought unlocking the container would open it up for any malware present.
i share many of the same opinions with you, but as many other people are concerned, and very much turned off, if this is going to impose hardcore restrictions on rooting and installing custom ROMs, then i'm not sure what to think of knox. it IS there to secure stuff, so it's sort of a slippery slope deal. i guess for the non-experimental people who use vanilla TW and all that, it's a luxury.
this article, though a bit dated, was pretty helpful: http://blog.kaspersky.com/understanding-samsung-knox/

best crypt for Android. fail

I recently saw this on Google play.
It's a volume container encryption application that runs on many platforms including Windows Linux and Android and possibly others (ok I admit I'm pretty blind to Mac and Apple).
I thought I would give it a try. I have not used best crypt since I found true crypt.
I was able to create and mount a container in Android.
But that was about it.the built in file browser that you NEED to use is about as user friendly as a bed of thumb tracks. You had no options on what encryption methods to create the container or any other options. That's a pretty glaring problem.
I tried to install the desktop application but it requires internet to install..
And only an idiot would use such a system
(What happens is you need to reinstall to get to your data and you have no internet? All your backups are useless with internet required applications be it installing or running)
Security applications in any form should never NEED the internet to function in any way.
So basically I cannot even recommend looking at this software for any use.
I could understand issues like these in a new software company that knew nothing of security and was just starting out..
But the makers of best crypt have been around for years. And personally I could never see a situation where I would pay for a application that had such issues right at the start.
Even free I would never use it
It's NOT open source software so I can't even comment on their encryption techniques..
(Once again it would not matter as the desktop needs internet access to install and the app has no encryption options)

Unsolved tech...

Hello guys,
I have been searching for answers to some of the tech stuff, but couldn't find them.
Here are some of those questions. Hope some of you would have answers to these. Thanks in advance!
ANDROID
1. How to share files between multi-users on Android 11?
Before Android 11, it was possible to save files inside the Android/ obb folder, and these files were visible for all users on the device. In Android 11, this is no longer working as the 'obb' folder appears to be exclusive to each user.
I know this is possible via USB OTG or a cloud service, but is there a solution without these?
2. How to copy/ backup game data for non-rooted devices?
Helium Backup doesn't seem to work. I have played a game for long on my Mediapad, and I would like to copy that game to my phone. Unfortunately, my Mediapad is not rooted and losing all that game progress has become a nightmare. I have written to the app developer to provide some sort of backup using either Google Play Games or social media integration like Facebook/ Twitter, but haven't received any response.
3. How to force apps (esp. file managers & gallery apps) to use in-app media viewer without changing system default.
For example, I may use the stock gallery app as default for viewing media. But if I am using another gallery app or a file manager that is capable of viewing media files using its own media viewer, I would rather want it use it than open the default app. Is there a way to do it?
4. Replace stock file manager (a system app) with another app from Google Play Store or other sources. Is this possible?
I am not asking how to convert a user app into system app. I know that part. I tried replacing the apk file of the stock file manager with a 3rd party apk, even renamed it, but it didn't work.
5. Extract a system app from one device and install it on another device without root. Is this possible?
I have tried it, but apk installation fails. For example, Samsung Gallery app on OnePlus phones.
iOS
1. How to install .ipa (iPhone app) on an iPhone (not jail-broken) without a laptop (iTunes)?
2. Is it possible to have SFTP server for iPhone?
All Operating Systems
1. How to provide LAN only access for non-rooted devices as well as in Windows & iOS?
For rooted devices, we have apps like AFWall+ that can do it. But is there a way to do it for devices without root, as well as for Windows and iOS?
For non-rooted devices, we have apps like Netguard that support 'Allow LAN access' whilst blocking internet access.
Are there any alternatives and solutions for other platforms?
2. How safe is it to enter login credentials in an app to allow it access to network drives?
I use several apps (on various platforms) to connect to my laptop over SMB. This requires me to provide the app with my Windows Login Credentials, which is a Microsoft account. Am I risking my account by providing this info to the app? Is it safe to enter login credentials of cloud services in file manager apps?
Just bumping this thread as it seems to have been lost/ unnoticed.
@Ultramanoid can you answer some of these?
Sridhar Ananthanarayanan said:
@Ultramanoid can you answer some of these?
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Click to collapse
Can't help much, sorry. As to Android, some notes :
1. Never have used an OEM / Google's version of Android, or anything other than rooted single-user systems.
2. In addition to the previous answer, I'm not a gamer.
3. I usually don't ever set defaults with some rare exceptions, so I am always given a choice of what I want to use to handle a file. It may vary depending on many things; I may want to edit an SVG file as text, or view it as an image, for instance. There are applications / services that will intercept intents to allow you to do this sort of thing as well, but I can't recommend a specific one, never use them myself.
4. Possible, but will break Android as by now the system requires it as a file picker in many instances without recognizing alternatives and developers of most applications do expect it as well and their services will not work without it. Don't do it. With recent Android storage changes, including the scoped storage debacle, this is not a viable option anymore.
5. Depends, but not likely as a general rule, specially for OEM garbage, which relies on their own proprietary modifications of Android, their libraries, frameworks, et al. You'd have to carry those over to the destination too, which may not even be possible. Use OEM-independent and not Google Services reliant applications. ( Edit : you'll find some of those applications built to install on all devices here on XDA by single developers, "SONY camera for all devices" and that sort of thing, not recommended anyway, not well supported or long-lived experiments. )
Ultramanoid said:
Can't help much, sorry. As to Android, some notes :
1. Never have used an OEM / Google's version of Android, or anything other than rooted single-user systems.
2. In addition to the previous answer, I'm not a gamer.
3. I usually don't ever set defaults with some rare exceptions, so I am always given a choice of what I want to use to handle a file. It may vary depending on many things; I may want to edit an SVG file as text, or view it as an image, for instance. There are applications / services that will intercept intents to allow you to do this sort of thing as well, but I can't recommend a specific one, never use them myself.
4. Possible, but will break Android as by now the system requires it as a file picker in many instances without recognizing alternatives and developers of most applications do expect it as well and their services will not work without it. Don't do it. With recent Android storage changes, including the scoped storage debacle, this is not a viable option anymore.
5. Depends, but not likely as a general rule, specially for OEM garbage, which relies on their own proprietary modifications of Android, their libraries, frameworks, et al. You'd have to carry those over to the destination too, which may not even be possible. Use OEM-independent and not Google Services reliant applications. ( Edit : you'll find some of those applications built to install on all devices here on XDA by single developers, "SONY camera for all devices" and that sort of thing, not recommended anyway, not well supported or long-lived experiments. )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks very much. But I wish you answered the last 2 questions as well.
If time permits, would you be interested in telling us how you use your phone? I mean which device, which OS and what apps you use. I would like to give that a try (on a spare device) and see if it is possible for me to live without Google.
Sridhar Ananthanarayanan said:
Thanks very much. But I wish you answered the last 2 questions as well.
If time permits, would you be interested in telling us how you use your phone? I mean which device, which OS and what apps you use. I would like to give that a try (on a spare device) and see if it is possible for me to live without Google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't answer because it won't be helpful.
As to the 1st, I don't use LAN, and I don't keep data in any device or computer unless in use. External independent encrypted storage to be used wherever, whenever, independent of device, cables if needed.
As to the second, it's a matter of common sense, being informed of vulnerabilities and aware of reputation, and trust. Would you trust Chrome or Mozilla with data if you're online banking ? Seems reasonable -- but be aware of major vulnerabilities that may be going on. Would you trust an application released yesterday by a single developer for the same ? Probably not a good idea.
Finally, I doubt what I use and how I use it would be acceptable for you, or most people. In essence you could : Install latest firmware, wipe device, install latest security patched Lineage build for it, remove vendor / Lineage applications, get full root, remove anything you don't need or use which could have vulnerabilities; frameworks, libraries, binaries, etc ( Bluetooth, SMS, Android system-wide downloader, system-wide WebView, NFC, and on and on .. ), install your own binaries, fonts, hosts file, and applications where appropriate ( /bin /etc et al ), install Termux and all Linux packages required for your use, everything open source whenever possible, and stay away from any Google services / Play / applications with ANY trackers, analytics, data mining or even crash report capabilities; zero tolerance. Internet permission only for a secure web browser -- and terminal if / when needed. Half of what I do or use goes through terminal to be honest. In short, for me an Android device is a full Linux laptop replacement with added perks : Always on and on me, camera, GPS, pedometer, unlimited LTE data, and emergency calls for medics / police. ( Edit : And Japanese EEW alarm of course ! Only notification I use. We learned our lesson well in 2011. )
You can use ApkExport to extract any apk including system apks. I've transferred apks between other devices devices with it.
Never had need of doing that though with a system apk.

Noob: Privacy and security

Hi, i'm very interested in privacy and security but I'm a complete noob when it comes to android and phones so hopefully i can learn something from this forum.
I currently own a samsung A51, unmodified. I'm unsure if i should root it.
I have recently read that samsung collects a lot of data and sells it to third parties, google and apple collects data just as well but they don't sell data to third parties. I'm worried about this.
My win10 machine has been hardened pretty well, it doesn't call home to microsoft in any way i know. Simply by setting the rules to "deny by default" unless something has specifically been whitelisted by, and blacklisting microsoft IP's.
Can this be done on a stock samsung phone as well? Is there any firewall app that can do this? Something like tinywall? Or IPtables in linux? to prevent any data connection from samsung?
Read my post, depending on who wants access to your phone, there isnt anything you can do. With permissions of most apps any by default most operating systems have backdoors within them, and with your advertising i.d u can be followed from website to website and tracked just by having wifi turned on. ..
E.g owning a samsung ssd, in their privacy statement they tell you they are gonna identify you from your ssd serial number and use it the same way the telemnttry u are blocking does, so unless u wanna block and change every device i.d u got...
Long story we all fuuuuucd
Windows OS has a hosts file, Linux OS has a host file, MacOS has an hosts file and Android OS has a hosts file, too. That's the place people use to block unwanted Internet connections.
jwoegerbauer said:
Windows OS has a hosts file, Linux OS has a host file, MacOS has an hosts file and Android OS has a hosts file, too. That's the place people use to block unwanted Internet connections.
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Yeah i get that but that dont work with my issue as the access to my devices goes around the layer of the operating system

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