ASSUME THE WORST - Oreo / root - LG V20 Guides, News, & Discussion

I know everyone is going to want to install Oreo the minute it drops. Don't. At least until I have a chance to look at it.
This only applies if you have root currently, or ever want to root.
There is a chance that LG could make changes that break compatibility with the engineering aboot, and close all the holes in lafd.
I have nothing that indicates that will happen, but the fact that it IS a possibility means caution should be taken.
At least by me posting this, you can't say you weren't warned
-- Brian

I hate bumping posts, but I think this really needs to be drilled into everyone's heads.
If you just go blindly flashing Oreo, there is a good chance you will brick your phone if you are rooted with the engineering aboot.
-- Brian

If that turns out to be the case what is the solution? I know you said you were able to modify the persist partition to run unsigned firmware on the stock h910 bootloader, but if i remember correctly it was a bit dicey. Without the debug aboot we are in a bad way. I know you're busy with lafsploit just seeing if you had any initial ideas if things turn out for the worst.

I have already started the next project -- unlocking the bootloader without the engineering aboot.
Now that we can write to /dev/block/sda without root, we can update persist and persistent -- that is where aboot gets the "I am unlocked" from.
So, it is just a matter of figuring out exactly what to write and where, and no more engineering aboot is needed.
This is going to require dumps of persist and persistent from multiple devices -- of course the H918 in both locked and unlocked states.
Since I have an H918, I will be able to take care of those dumps, but even though I have an H910 as well, I can't have both of my phones out of commision (it will require factory resetting the phone so it is in a known state).
I have started a thread about this somewhere. I am going to dig it up and post some new information.
If this can be cracked, then it will allow ANY LG phone to be bootloader unlocked that still uses aboot and not the encrypted abl (The V30 would be an example of abl). I am not ruling out that I MAY be able to solve it on the V30 as well, but it would be a LOT harder without being able to decompile aboot.
My goal is to unlock as many LG phones as I possibly can. Yes, LG has pi**ed me off this much
The SD845 will put an end to this. Even though the chip isn't out yet, I have read all the specs, and while I won't say that it will be impossible to root a locked down SD845 phone, I sure won't be wasting my time doing it. Qualcomm has truly come up with some amazing security with the SD845.
-- Brian

runningnak3d said:
I have already started the next project -- unlocking the bootloader without the engineering aboot.
Now that we can write to /dev/block/sda without root, we can update persist and persistent -- that is where aboot gets the "I am unlocked" from.
So, it is just a matter of figuring out exactly what to write and where, and no more engineering aboot is needed.
This is going to require dumps of persist and persistent from multiple devices -- of course the H918 in both locked and unlocked states.
Since I have an H918, I will be able to take care of those dumps, but even though I have an H910 as well, I can't have both of my phones out of commision (it will require factory resetting the phone so it is in a known state).
I have started a thread about this somewhere. I am going to dig it up and post some new information.
If this can be cracked, then it will allow ANY LG phone to be bootloader unlocked that still uses aboot and not the encrypted abl (The V30 would be an example of abl). I am not ruling out that I MAY be able to solve it on the V30 as well, but it would be a LOT harder without being able to decompile aboot.
My goal is to unlock as many LG phones as I possibly can. Yes, LG has pi**ed me off this much
The SD845 will put an end to this. Even though the chip isn't out yet, I have read all the specs, and while I won't say that it will be impossible to root a locked down SD845 phone, I sure won't be wasting my time doing it. Qualcomm has truly come up with some amazing security with the SD845.
-- Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The SD845 is out with the S9 and I'm pretty sure a few other phones?

I forgot the S9 was out.
I'll have to grab one of their firmware files and see just how bad it is.
-- Brian

Related

YA 4.4.2 Bootloader Discussion

Hey there remaining Verizon S3 users!
Coming from my favorite device the T959V this has been quite a trip. This device's bootloader is seemingly impossible to unlock on the 4.4.2 NE1 firmware.
I've got a slightly modified Superlite rom rolling with SafeStrap already strapped. And it is great to say the least. Added some initd and utilities. Evie launcher is pretty nice btw- recommend a try :good:
However. I still really want this thing to be unlocked. The T959V has multiple working Fro, GB, ICS, JB, KK, L, M, AND Nougat ROMS. Totally different devices yes but-- even the newer S4-S6 have cracked loaders now.
There has to be a special way to change this things firmware.
Right now I have 2 ideas to throw out to the wind-
1- Would be that there could be a way to trick the device into thinking it is receiving a new update. Maybe somehow with CSC or something. Also I saw a file named authorized.xml and was reading through to find traces of knox. Would unauthorizing knox strings somehow render it useless?
2- I was reading a suggested post about AVB boots and how they can be resigned on devices such as the Google Pixel and allows the newer patches to still install. Including what was described as a forced re-sign method.
--- Could we somehow resign the bootloader on our device so as to gain control of it? Has anybody tried anything like this since around 2015?
I'll gladly talk about all of this more whenever I feel like popping on- and atm I have no web besides this service. :silly: so no DOS updates and no shiny linux for now.
Gladly tell me that it is "impossible" but I'm not asking that. I'm trying to add some ideas to possibly do the impossible.
Edit: This seems to be an interesting lead on emmc cracking this device. It's probably why people in other threads were in search of a "dev" edition.
http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/f777/unlock-samsung-devices-bootloader-emmc-backdoor-2142981/
graycow9 said:
Hey there remaining Verizon S3 users!
Coming from my favorite device the T959V this has been quite a trip. This device's bootloader is seemingly impossible to unlock on the 4.4.2 NE1 firmware.
I've got a slightly modified Superlite rom rolling with SafeStrap already strapped. And it is great to say the least. Added some initd and utilities. Evie launcher is pretty nice btw- recommend a try :good:
However. I still really want this thing to be unlocked. The T959V has multiple working Fro, GB, ICS, JB, KK, L, M, AND Nougat ROMS. Totally different devices yes but-- even the newer S4-S6 have cracked loaders now.
There has to be a special way to change this things firmware.
Right now I have 2 ideas to throw out to the wind-
1- Would be that there could be a way to trick the device into thinking it is receiving a new update. Maybe somehow with CSC or something. Also I saw a file named authorized.xml and was reading through to find traces of knox. Would unauthorizing knox strings somehow render it useless?
2- I was reading a suggested post about AVB boots and how they can be resigned on devices such as the Google Pixel and allows the newer patches to still install. Including what was described as a forced re-sign method.
--- Could we somehow resign the bootloader on our device so as to gain control of it? Has anybody tried anything like this since around 2015?
I'll gladly talk about all of this more whenever I feel like popping on- and atm I have no web besides this service. :silly: so no DOS updates and no shiny linux for now.
Gladly tell me that it is "impossible" but I'm not asking that. I'm trying to add some ideas to possibly do the impossible.
Edit: This seems to be an interesting lead on emmc cracking this device. It's probably why people in other threads were in search of a "dev" edition.
http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/f777/unlock-samsung-devices-bootloader-emmc-backdoor-2142981/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been around this and many many other forums for years now. If there was an unlock method it would of been found years ago. Devs have long moved on from the old S3. I still have my S3 lying around, bootloader unlocked but I really haven't messed around with it for quite a long time now
And yes the dev edition would of been nice had someone actually had one, it would of of course made it easier to crack the bootloader option maybe. I don't know much about the ins and outs of the device but I know many are permanently locked and will probably never be unlocked.
As far as certain other Samsung devices being unlocked those are far and few between. VZW got smart and started just locking them from the start. This is a huge reason why I left Verizon. The S3 was my last device on big red. I since have had a Nexus 5 and 6 and now a oneplus 3t. I really don't like locked devices and the ability to unlock them and customize them just intrigues me to no end. Good luck however in finding something that may work, but I highly doubt it will ever be cracked
Sent from my OnePlus 3T
Ya I expected your negatude Shapes. Already seen that you have been searching but it isn't just some application you run. It's an unknown exploit that I'm sure exists. There are exploits right now that can be considered viral potentially exploiting my device as we speak. Maybe not granted my semi-precautious take on things.
Quadrooter and dirty cow could be used to exploit the S3 and gain access to a quoted "all" physical memory. So I find it hard to believe that things can't work in our favor.
Being open minded here. After all, this is technically hacking your own device. Which--
Got me thinking the other day, becausr I was setting up my laptop proper- could we run a nix distro and poke through the bootloader's parameters via exploitation tools? Referencing Kali or it's elder BTrack. But I think it is possible and I just haven't gotten around this loop mounting issue.
To be clear, running a distro ON the device. My flat is already running square.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Also a purposely separate post- I'm building a ROM for this locked firmware and the goal is to have some specific updated apps and yet trim it nicely so as to save space and RAM it's mostly stock style-wise but it'd be cool to re-theme it. I haven't gotten things deodexed yet- being I haven't gotten my apktools working proper yet.
Is there anybody left to be interested in this? I haven't posted anything I've made before- usually just keep them lying around for emergency flashes.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
graycow9 said:
Ya I expected your negatude Shapes. Already seen that you have been searching but it isn't just some application you run. It's an unknown exploit that I'm sure exists. There are exploits right now that can be considered viral potentially exploiting my device as we speak. Maybe not granted my semi-precautious take on things.
Quadrooter and dirty cow could be used to exploit the S3 and gain access to a quoted "all" physical memory. So I find it hard to believe that things can't work in our favor.
Being open minded here. After all, this is technically hacking your own device. Which--
Got me thinking the other day, becausr I was setting up my laptop proper- could we run a nix distro and poke through the bootloader's parameters via exploitation tools? Referencing Kali or it's elder BTrack. But I think it is possible and I just haven't gotten around this loop mounting issue.
To be clear, running a distro ON the device. My flat is already running square.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think shapes was trying to act negative at all, just stating the obvious. Nobody is going to try to unlock the Verizon S3, it's pretty much a dead end.
The unlock method used on the S5 will most likely work on this phone, but we need a developer CID to rewrite to the emmc as the series chip used on the S3 likely has the same vulnerability. This is what happened on the S5.
If you read some of the other posts (sounds like you have), we looked for an S3 developer edition but had no luck in tracking one down. For one, it's an incredibly old device. Secondly, you'd have to be semi retarded to purchase one as the original unlock method was around before the developer edition was released.
So yes, if you can find a developer S3 this will likely be an unlock method. It tricks the S3 into thinking it's a developer phone and unlocks the bootloader if the method to write it works the same as in the S5.
As for your questions,
1. I think you're underestimating the amount of security that goes into the bootloader itself. If you want to learn a lot about Android security in general, in the Android security discussion section located under general forums, there's tons of info regarding how complex this all is. But basically, in order to send an update patch, it needs to be signed (you can't just fake the signature) and it must agree with the current bootloader. The way the bootloader is written, it simply won't allow a reversion back to earlier versions or it'll abort the boot.
An easier way to think of this is understanding that the changes made are preinstalled before the actual boot. There's no way for us to change this through normal methods as the emmc has to be written to directly. There is no way to do this from download or recovery mode. Wouldn't matter if you flashed it or used and update package, they are essentially the same thing.
So the only way to actually change the bootloader is to write to the emmc directly through use of the JTAG port. This changes the code of the entire bootloader before the boot and the phone will boot up with any version of the S3 bootloader you write.
2. I think I kind of answered that?
Hope it's clear.
BadUsername said:
I don't think shapes was trying to act negative at all, just stating the obvious. Nobody is going to try to unlock the Verizon S3, it's pretty much a dead end.
The unlock method used on the S5 will most likely work on this phone, but we need a developer CID to rewrite to the emmc as the series chip used on the S3 likely has the same vulnerability. This is what happened on the S5.
If you read some of the other posts (sounds like you have), we looked for an S3 developer edition but had no luck in tracking one down. For one, it's an incredibly old device. Secondly, you'd have to be semi retarded to purchase one as the original unlock method was around before the developer edition was released.
So yes, if you can find a developer S3 this will likely be an unlock method. It tricks the S3 into thinking it's a developer phone and unlocks the bootloader if the method to write it works the same as in the S5.
As for your questions,
1. I think you're underestimating the amount of security that goes into the bootloader itself. If you want to learn a lot about Android security in general, in the Android security discussion section located under general forums, there's tons of info regarding how complex this all is. But basically, in order to send an update patch, it needs to be signed (you can't just fake the signature) and it must agree with the current bootloader. The way the bootloader is written, it simply won't allow a reversion back to earlier versions or it'll abort the boot.
An easier way to think of this is understanding that the changes made are preinstalled before the actual boot. There's no way for us to change this through normal methods as the emmc has to be written to directly. There is no way to do this from download or recovery mode. Wouldn't matter if you flashed it or used and update package, they are essentially the same thing.
So the only way to actually change the bootloader is to write to the emmc directly through use of the JTAG port. This changes the code of the entire bootloader before the boot and the phone will boot up with any version of the S3 bootloader you write.
2. I think I kind of answered that?
Hope it's clear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Truthfully after being around the forums for as long as I have I'm really surprised there is any interest in unlocking this device at this point in time. There are just so many other options and unlocked vzw s3s are not that hard to come by.
And I wasn't being negative it's about being realistic. Thanks for sticking up for me brother
Sent from my OnePlus 3T
Are there any updates to this by any chance, I am interested :C
any hope?

bootloader.

Been seeing development arising for the s8 and + Sammy devices and root has been achieved and mods can be applied. The question that keeps rolling through my head is why is the S8 and the SD 835 such a hard one to crack as far as being unlocked for custom recovery, mods, roms, performance tweaking. I'm just curious to why this unlock is unachievable and where and what stops it from happening. To me having TWRP installed is a huge safety net and I'll be honest I miss having it. Maybe someone can enlighten me to why this is such a pain in the arse to achieve.
fastjohnson said:
Been seeing development arising for the s8 and + Sammy devices and root has been achieved and mods can be applied. The question that keeps rolling through my head is why is the S8 and the SD 835 such a hard one to crack as far as being unlocked for custom recovery, mods, roms, performance tweaking. I'm just curious to why this unlock is unachievable and where and what stops it from happening. To me having TWRP installed is a huge safety net and I'll be honest I miss having it. Maybe someone can enlighten me to why this is such a pain in the arse to achieve.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know what you mean man! It used to be the other way around I'm up in Canada and we've never had locked bootloaders until this phone came around. It's crying shame that you can't use any other Rom except for what it comes with.
Right I'm sure eventually it'll get unlocked because you have 4 phones that are identical in hardware and the only difference is what the carrier has put in it. Then you have the international version that can be unlocked and they've got development for that version. I'm sure there's way to many smart cookies on here to not happen. They've achieved root and all the other goodies. It'll happen just takes time.
fastjohnson said:
Right I'm sure eventually it'll get unlocked because you have 4 phones that are identical in hardware and the only difference is what the carrier has put in it. Then you have the international version that can be unlocked and they've got development for that version. I'm sure there's way to many smart cookies on here to not happen. They've achieved root and all the other goodies. It'll happen just takes time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt it ever will be unlocked. The S7 still hasn't been unlocked despite sharing the same hardware across carriers in the US. Damn efuse and secure boot. The other issue is that we wouldn't really have source to do anything and it would be an uphill struggle to get anything substantial.

Anyone else as miserable with their LG G7 as I am?

I mean this thing is a piece of junk, keys all over the place, I typo all the time from mismatched touches on the screen, it bug reports daily, it is slower than older phones, no bootloader, no root, I HATE LG and this piece of S###! I have contacted Sprint, LG, anyone I can, and LG doesnt care, they are the absolute worst company ever in existence of mobile phones. I CANNOT WAIT until they go bankrupt. This is the WORST DEVICE EVER IN HISTORY! I am SO upset with LG and Sprint and SO disappointed with LG mobile in general. I havent met one customer who is 100% satisfied with LG YET to date! They will soon become the next Blackberry, a distant bad memory but they dont have to be if they would just listen to us and unlock the damn bootloaders. THEN we can fix the issues ourselves and accept LG, not love LG, but at least not hate them. I would have AOSP on my device day 1, instead, I am stuck with this overbloated Sprint BS (yes I have Octoplus LG and can move to US-Open / non-branded) but then I run into CDMA issues with Sprint so I am stuck with a terrible device I wish I could toss. And Sprint actually ASKED me if I would be interested in purchasing the lease out and owning it (to get a new phone on a new lease), YEAH RIGHT, I am DONE with this piece of crap phone and Sprint! They can both bite me, Sprint overcharges now with hidden fees and terrible customer support, and LG just doesnt care, they dont give a hoot about the customer, once they get the money, you are a distant past memory (like they will soon be)!
I have had this phone since late September, and have never had the issues that you have. Yes, it does have its quirks, but nothing like you've described. Have you tried a factory reset to see if that fixes the issues?
Sent from my LM-G710VM using Tapatalk
Since I got mine, I have debloated what I can on the phone via application menu and adb.. It's ok, but would prefer having a unlocked bootloader, and root.
I am 100% satisfied, so I must be your first
Can you flash custom partitions with octopus box?
No!
Just use this beast with some nice headphones.
Go to compare with s10 or iPhone xs max screen. Max brightness on all, G7 wins!
Best screen, best Dac, best Amp, best camera software. Best USB-C 3.1 with 5Gbps, hdmi output. What else do you want? Updates? What for? Since Qualcomm introduced Trust Zone it's almost impossible to get hacked or root the phone. Software updates are just a gimmick.
Enjoy your phone. It's WONDERFUL! Trust me on this.
I wouldn't say I'm miserable with the phone but the lack of timely security updates and lack of update to Android Pie makes it unlikely I would consider getting another LG phone. The solution is simple, sell just 1 global version of the phone so you don't have to provide updates for multiple models but they aren't listening to me.
mr3p said:
I wouldn't say I'm miserable with the phone but the lack of timely security updates and lack of update to Android Pie makes it unlikely I would consider getting another LG phone. The solution is simple, sell just 1 global version of the phone so you don't have to provide updates for multiple models but they aren't listening to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually its only two versions.
The rest is carrier software that your carrier is responsible for.
maydayind said:
Actually its only two versions.
The rest is carrier software that your carrier is responsible for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. So you are saying that G710TM, G710VMX, G710ULM, G710PM, G710VM, G710EM and G710EMW are all the exact same phone with interachangable firmware? For the record, try calling Google Fi and telling them they are responsible for providing updates, LOL. They will tell you its LG's responsibility but either way my comments still stands. I wouldn't recommend anyone who wants a phone which receives regular updates to ever purchase an LG device.
I loved my quirky V10, but that decided that it would not turn on or chrage one day so I got the flagship at the time - the G7. I think the V30 was still a month or more to release. G7 is or was ok - optimize phone seemed to screw it up, clearing cache in recovery was just an error message, it was not particularly fast, but I could live with that. Then there was a few weeks of the fingerprint scanner being wonky. Well fingerprint stopped working yesterday. Hard reset didnt fix it. So yeah after 4+ years with LG never again will I get one.
Update: fingerprint started working again for some unknown reason. Software conflict maybe?
mjl574 said:
I have had this phone since late September, and have never had the issues that you have. Yes, it does have its quirks, but nothing like you've described. Have you tried a factory reset to see if that fixes the issues?
Sent from my LM-G710VM using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
done 5 times (through settings and through recovery as well, I tried both methods), still piece of junk
I am glad everyone else is happy, but not me. All I can say it, wait until you DO have issues and try to reach out through LG. LG wont respond, they dont care, trust me, we are on our own. I will NEVER again EVER purchase another LG product, not a phone, washer, TV, monitor, nada. I am far from the only one complaining, its everywhere on the internet but I am surprised to find so many happy LG users here on XDA (but thats actually a good thing). I was expecting to find more users like me who cannot stand bloat, corporate BS, locked bootloaders, ETC. Maybe its just me, but I cannot stand by any company that does not allow bootloaders to be unlocked, no one has the right to tell us what we can and cannot do with phones WE OWN!
LameMonster82 said:
Can you flash custom partitions with octopus box?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes but with the locked bootloaders, it is limited to "EMERGENCY FLASH" not the full bore flash. I can however cross-flash but I think that would only help if I had a .KDZ or .OCT that contains a rooted image for the EM model (or custom variant). I tried to load the EM model and unlock through the LG.DEV and it knew my IMEI was for a different model so it wouldnt give me the .bin file.
Octoplus LG:
G710AWMH - added world’s first Write Firmware (“*.kdz”, “*.oct”), Reset FRP*, Read/Write QCN, Read/Write NVM, Factory Reset
G710EM - added world’s first Write Firmware (“*.kdz”, “*.oct”), Reset FRP*, Read/Write QCN, Read/Write NVM, Factory Reset
G710EMW - added world’s first Write Firmware (“*.kdz”, “*.oct”), Reset FRP*, Read/Write QCN, Read/Write NVM, Factory Reset
GROOVYJOSHCLARK said:
Yes but with the locked bootloaders, it is limited to "EMERGENCY FLASH" not the full bore flash. I can however cross-flash but I think that would only help if I had a .KDZ or .OCT that contains a rooted image for the EM model (or custom variant). I tried to load the EM model and unlock through the LG.DEV and it knew my IMEI was for a different model so it wouldnt give me the .bin file.
Octoplus LG:
G710AWMH - added world’s first Write Firmware (“*.kdz”, “*.oct”), Reset FRP*, Read/Write QCN, Read/Write NVM, Factory Reset
G710EM - added world’s first Write Firmware (“*.kdz”, “*.oct”), Reset FRP*, Read/Write QCN, Read/Write NVM, Factory Reset
G710EMW - added world’s first Write Firmware (“*.kdz”, “*.oct”), Reset FRP*, Read/Write QCN, Read/Write NVM, Factory Reset
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe emergency flash could be enough. I know how to get root through flashing abl_a and ftm (I think) partitions from an EM module and using the unlock bin from the em model. Can you check if you can flash abl_a and ftm?
LameMonster82 said:
Maybe emergency flash could be enough. I know how to get root through flashing abl_a and ftm (I think) partitions from an EM module and using the unlock bin from the em model. Can you check if you can flash abl_a and ftm?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually deleted the .bin file a while back when it didnt work, if you have a new copy, I will try it. I am willing to try anything at this point to get off the stock OS, it is such junk! I am glad other users are happy, but I am surely not! I went from my own AOSP on my PME (HTC 10) to this over-bloated piece of junk that barely functions.
GROOVYJOSHCLARK said:
I actually deleted the .bin file a while back when it didnt work, if you have a new copy, I will try it. I am willing to try anything at this point to get off the stock OS, it is such junk! I am glad other users are happy, but I am surely not! I went from my own AOSP on my PME (HTC 10) to this over-bloated piece of junk that barely functions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I have. Don't worry.
@GROOVYJOSHCLARK i need your help getting some info about the phone through your octopus box. Can you help me?
LameMonster82 said:
@GROOVYJOSHCLARK i need your help getting some info about the phone through your octopus box. Can you help me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not right this second but yes, just tell me what you need and I'll get it and reply. My box is home and I'm at the office in the city so it won't be until tonight or tomorrow morning but I will get it.
GROOVYJOSHCLARK said:
Not right this second but yes, just tell me what you need and I'll get it and reply. My box is home and I'm at the office in the city so it won't be until tonight or tomorrow morning but I will get it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just the box. The idea is to record how the box communicates with the phone and get a firehose file out of it. No need to flash anything. Just USB sniffing the recognition
Edit: tell me whenever you're ready and I will guide you if you don't know how
LameMonster82 said:
Just the box. The idea is to record how the box communicates with the phone and get a firehose file out of it. No need to flash anything. Just USB sniffing the recognition
Edit: tell me whenever you're ready and I will guide you if you don't know how
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just PM me whatever you need or here publicly if you think it's worth while for others.

Android device security after unlock

Hello I was wondering if there was a way to secure an Android device after unlocking it and installing a custom rom, maybe somebody has a thread or something.
Theoretically speaking anybody can take the device and do whatever he wants with fastboot or twrp.
Relocking it can have unforeseen consequences as some here have learned. I may be incorrect (depends on the variant too) as I don't root but the more you do, the more can go wrong.
I don't screen lock my device or encrypt my data because I don't want to be locked out, ever.
Physical possession is the only real security, relocking it isn't needed or desirable.
Anyone that tries to take my device is headed to the hurt locker. Consequences.
@fdor
Once an Android device's bootloader got unlocked ( disabling AVB included ) the device's Android is vulnerable.
blackhawk said:
Relocking it can have unforeseen consequences as some here have learned. I may be incorrect (depends on the variant too) as I don't root but the more you do, the more can go wrong.
I don't screen lock my device or encrypt my data because I don't want to be locked out, ever.
Physical possession is the only real security, relocking it isn't needed or desirable.
Anyone that tries to take my device is headed to the hurt locker. Consequences.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the information, could you elaborate on screen locking? or link a thread I'm not sure what you speak of.
fdor said:
Thanks for the information, could you elaborate on screen locking? or link a thread I'm not sure what you speak of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a separate subject but the concept is they same. Anything you lock especially will a password, you can get locked out yourself. Many times through no fault of your own as in a hardware failure.
An unlocked boot loader is a security risk... a bricked device much less so
On a stock Android Pie or higher (even not updated) security isn't an issue unless you do something stupid.
One reason I don't root.
Anytime you load unofficial firmware you're talking a risk plus it's distribution volume is much lower so if any malware is present it doesn't have as much exposure. Meaning it's likely to take longer to be detected.

Question Unlocked bootloader data security

If I lose my phone or it gets stolen how secure is my pin protected data with an unlocked bootloader as opposed to a locked bootloader?
Pretty sure you have to wipe all to get rid of a pin, so I would say it is almost the same.
Connorsdad said:
If I lose my phone or it gets stolen how secure is my pin protected data with an unlocked bootloader as opposed to a locked bootloader?
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There are two schools of thought on locked vs. unlocked bootloader security (both which I quote below) that I saw discussed a while back on the subject. It may not directly speak on pin protecting your data -- they discuss some on how your device is encrypted behind your pin so even if stolen, it should still be secure (enough) -- but at the very least there are ways around EFS so your device might still be of some use and/or, maybe given enough time you never know what can happen; which is discussed a bit in the quote & discussion (in the thread they do it in) below...
You could click on either posts (they are made in the same thread) to follow the discussion more (they go on for a bit, but not to too much more of a degree)...
96carboard said:
Everything will work perfectly with an unlocked bootloader. It will just give you an annoying warning screen briefly when powering on.
If you want to know about security risks, they're fairly small, and ONLY apply if your phone is handled physically by someone untrusted for an extended period of time, in which the only thing they could actually do is install a modified boot image. Under those circumstances, the device security has to be assumed compromised whether the bootloader is unlocked or not.
An unlocked bootloader will NOT allow a 3rd party to access data on the device, since it is encrypted and requires your security code to unlock.
Now, you can actually tell if they've rebooted the device, which they would HAVE to do in order to install a different boot image; the unlock screen (which they are NOT able to modify without resulting in boot failure) will tell you!
And I absolutely disagree that it is shortsighted to advise immediate unlocking. Nothing of real benefit comes from having a locked bootloader. Any sense of security you gain from it is smoke and mirrors. It can only be tampered with if someone has physical access, and if somebody has physical access, it has to be assumed compromised regardless of whether it is unlocked or not. If anything, your security is improved because it is now on your mind that it could potentially be tampered with, and you are reminded of it with the id10t warning every time it reboots.
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bobby janow said:
Everything will not work perfectly. Let's be honest here. Look it up, some banking apps work mine doesn't. Pay will work one day and not the next. And if your bank finds out your account was hacked and your phone is unlocked and/or bypasses bank security protocols who will pay for the missing funds when they find out?
A missing device can be booted into a custom recovery and adb commands will be available to take everything on your device bypassing any security you have. With a locked bootloader that is not possible. So if you know your phone can be compromised you feel more secure? That is ludicrous and really doesn't make sense. I mean talk about smoke and mirrors.
Now that being said there are a lot of folks in your camp that say you're living a pipe dream if you think the phone is more easily hacked or info stolen. I understand that argument entirely and it's possibly correct to a certain degree. But to summarily say immediately unlock your bootloader if you don't plan on rooting because.. well just in case, is really disingenuous to a great many individuals. At the very least look up some articles on why to keep your bootloader locked, especially for someone that hasn't done it in some time, if ever. The beauty of Android is the possibility if you so desire. Just be conscience of the advice you give. Many years ago Chainfire said in his blog that if you have an unlocked bootloader and have financial apps on your device you're asking for trouble and you might want to rethink that. (not in so many words) That weekend I locked my bootloader and never looked back. I haven't missed anything.. well other than flashing MVK kernel for my 6a. ;-) But then I'd need root and that brings a host of other issues.
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