Database Info

[NEWS] Security Experts pleading to Ban Connections on Rooted and Jailbroken Devices

I don't know if this is just an advertising scheme of AVG Mobile Solutions through their Facebook page, but when the banning of banking connections (PayPal, online banking, etc.) on rooted devices is pushed through, DAMN IT WE'RE REALLY F*****!
Read more on AVG Blogs HERE

Definitively a marketing scheme... for the clueless...
"Google is blocking access to some services on rooted devices."
Well.. they did get that spot on..

narflynn619 said:
I don't know if this is just an advertising scheme of AVG Mobile Solutions through their Facebook page, but when the banning of banking connections (PayPal, online banking, etc.) on rooted devices is pushed through, DAMN IT WE'RE REALLY F*****!
Read more on AVG Blogs HERE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't worry, there is no way for a website to detect if you are rooted or not. There's also no reason for financial companies to do that - they would piss off users for zero gain in security.
Rooted devices are currently unsupported by Google due to requirements related to copyright protection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uh, what? Google has *only* shipped devices with root capability so far, what is this "unsupported" crap?

kllrnohj said:
Don't worry, there is no way for a website to detect if you are rooted or not. There's also no reason for financial companies to do that - they would piss off users for zero gain in security.
Uh, what? Google has *only* shipped devices with root capability so far, what is this "unsupported" crap?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure they're referring to video rentals from the new market being blocked for people on rooted devices.

Well the security increases a litle on non-rooted devices. Or so they claim.
On a rooted device you tend to screw around a litle more and install some infected software that might steal more info then what you know.
They so call wanna protect you against that by not allowing rooted devices.
But as the past already showed us you can aswell get infected apps from market if it passes google filters.
So this is just marketing for AVG. Besides i think AVG is more insane then a virus uninstalling it from your device is not always working perfect.
Also it would become possible to detect if a phone is rooted or not. If google adds a tag when you are using a rooted phone and allows android to send that tag to sites/apps and those sites/apps read those tags and according to them give access or not well then we are screwed.
I don't think they will push it that far thought with the block rooted access.
They just did it now in an attempt to block pirating of their new movie service.
I also remember Google saying once in an article that rooting isn't forbidden and they won't block it as it is just a way to tweak your phone.
It just voids your warranty

its always somethin isnt it..

Sorry if I sound dumb, but what exactly have Google blocked on rooted devices aside from video rentals?

Atomix86 said:
Sorry if I sound dumb, but what exactly have Google blocked on rooted devices aside from video rentals?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well except the movies they havn't blocked rooted phones from anything else yet
For now i don't mind the block that much since i don't plan to view movies on my phone but i understand allot of other users that are pissed at this.
I mean my phone also has to Voodoo sound control app installed so yeah it needs root for that.

Things like this remind me of the phrase I say that "a phone is only as good as it is unrooted" in case one day our rooted phones are cut off from the world.

I am not, but if I had to guess I'd say: If Google decides to block more/too many services on rooted phones we are going to see an "root cloaking app" or something like that, pretending the phone was not rooted while it is.
On Topic, as a computer science student with focus on security: Yes, rooted phones are more vulnerable, because malicous apps could gain root from a stupid user or a dumb user install warez/cracks/stolen stuff with virii in them. Thinking about prices for most apps it's such a users own fault if his data is in trouble.
A bigger problem are the actual security holes in the system. I know from my old iPhone that those are the biggest problem. Especially if those can be triggered from a website, like the pdf or tiff exploit (the later still present on iPhone 3G as firmware is no longer updated).
Oh, on that note, I have a nice topic, but I think I should start a new one instead...

kllrnohj said:
Don't worry, there is no way for a website to detect if you are rooted or not. There's also no reason for financial companies to do that - they would piss off users for zero gain in security.
Uh, what? Google has *only* shipped devices with root capability so far, what is this "unsupported" crap?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really. From what I understand, to gain root in a device, you have to find a way to exploit it. There is no bonafide root access from Google. The Evo 4G, for example, the exploit was found in the Flash Lite app.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=15664846&postcount=3

im rooted
Root is nothing more than admin privileges. Look at your desk top is it "rooted" and do you think they will deny your money from and an admin account on your desktop? Take a deep breath and calm down.

root or not, security problem always occur

I don't know

JDenson77 said:
Root is nothing more than admin privileges. Look at your desk top is it "rooted" and do you think they will deny your money from and an admin account on your desktop? Take a deep breath and calm down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am rooted too.. and it's for the same reason i wouldn't like using a computer as a pathetic "user"..

Those 'Security Experts' are government agents that don't know sh#t about high tech rooted devices!

Better Security
I am running the MIUI ROM and I think the security features are much better than the non rooted ROM. It actually asked me if I wanted the XBMC app to intercept SMS's.

ALL Android phones have hidden Carrier IQ software stealing info!?!

Ok guys i just saw this today and it really got me worried:
http://m.gizmodo.com/5863849/your-android-phone-is-secretly-recording-everything-you-do?autoplay
I'm sorry if i'm breaking a rule by posting this link, but if true, this is something to really worry about! Just read!
Update: here is a link for an app designed to detect and remove it from your android phones
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=17612559&postcount=110
Hope it helps!
Sent from my X10i using XDA App

Whole post, just in case:
If you have any decently modern Android phone, everything you do is being recorded by hidden software lurking inside. It even circumvents web encryption and grabs everything—including your passwords and Google queries.
Worse: it's the handset manufacturers and the carriers who—in the name of "making your user experience better"—install this software without any way for you to opt-out. This video, recorded by 25-year-old Android developer Trevor Eckhart, shows how it works. This is bad. Really bad.
Update: Nokia wrote to us saying that Carrier IQ's spyware is not included in any of their cellphones.
Fast forward to 9:00 for the damning sequence.
The spying software is developed by a company called Carrier IQ. In their site, the company says they are "the only embedded analytics company to support millions of devices simultaneously, we give Wireless Carriers and Handset Manufacturers unprecedented insight into their customers' mobile experience."
Who has this problem? It seems like a good goal and, indeed, most manufacturers and carriers agree: according to Eckhart, the spyware is included in most Android phones out there.
Eckhart claims that Carrier IQ software is also included in Blackberry and Nokia smartphones too. It probably works exactly the same in those smartphones as well. However, there's no proof showing these problems in those phones. There's no mention about Apple's iPhone.
It also doesn't even matter if your telephone was purchased free of carrier contracts. As Eckhart shows in this video, it's always there.
The problem is that it does a lot more than log anonymous generic data. It grabs everything.
How does it work? Carrier IQ's software is installed in your phone at the deepest level. You don't know it's there. You are never warned this is happening. You can't opt-in and you certainly can't opt-out.
The commercial spyware sits between the user and the applications in the phone so, no matter how secure and private your apps are, the spyware intercepts anything you do. From your location to your web browsing addresses and passwords to the content of your text messages.
This even happens using a private Wi-Fi connection instead of the carrier 3G or 4G connection.
The company denied all this in a public statement (PDF):
While we look at many aspects of a device's performance, we are counting and summarizing performance, not recording keystrokes or providing tracking tools
But the video clearly demonstrates that this is not true: Keystrokes submit unique key codes to Carrier IQ. Even secure connections are intercepted by the spyware, allowing it to record your moves in the open. These connections to the web are encrypted but, since Carrier IQ's spyware sits between the browser and the user, it grabs it and sends it in plain text.
The spyware can even log your location, even if the user declines to allow an app to know where it is. The hidden Carrier IQ app ignores your desires, intercepts the data and gets your location anyway.
What can you do to avoid it? Unfortunately, not much. The hidden spyware is always running, and there's no option in any of the menus to deactivate it. Unless you're a grade-A blackbelt hacker, you're out of luck. Even Eckhart, who is a developer, finds it difficult to remove:
Why is this not opt-in and why is it so hard to fully remove?
It's an excellent question. One that urgently needs an answer, from Carrier IQ but especially from every handset manufacturer and carrier involved in this situation.
The solution to this problem is not installing a custom ROM. That's something that shouldn't be required from consumers, something that normal people will not be willing to do. Products must respect privacy rights out of the box. Consumers must be informed about this the moment they turn on their phones in a clear way. They should have the possibility to opt-in and opt-out whenever they want, with a single click. This matter should be solved now by Carrier IQ, the handset manufacturer and the carriers.
If it isn't solved as soon as possible, authorities in the US and Europe should nail them with everything they have. [Twitter, Android Security Test, EFF and Carrier IQ via Threat Level]
Update from Nokia's PR firm Next15, Gretchen Bender: I know you've followed today's news that software from CarrierIQ has been found on Nokia devices. I wanted to quickly reach out following your story to let you know that in fact, CarrierIQ does not ship products for any Nokia devices. Therefore, these reports are inaccurate.
Sent from my X10i using XDA App

I was waiting to see this thread open here. This is a bomb to the platform's reputation.

Does rooting and installing any 3rd party ROM eliminate this?
Also, does this only apply to US carriers and devices?

AOSP mods (including cyanogenmod) don't have carrier IQ since Google didn't do it in the first place. Nor do the Nexus phones..
Nor do a handful of OTHER phones. I'm curious to see just how far that goes. It kinda explains why manufacturers/cell providers are SO insistent on locking firmware though.

Updated OP with link to removal app
Sent from my X10i using XDA App

Barzobius said:
Ok guys i just saw this today and it really got me worried:
http://m.gizmodo.com/5863849/your-android-phone-is-secretly-recording-everything-you-do?autoplay
I'm sorry if i'm breaking a rule by posting this link, but if true, this is something to really worry about! Just read!
Update: here is a link for an app designed to detect and remove it from your android phones
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=17612559&postcount=110
Hope it helps!
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for posting the link! l was watching the XDA:TV and Bob was on about this, while playing the video l was searching all over the market place, couldn't find it. Now l did.

Barzobius said:
Ok guys i just saw this today and it really got me worried:
http://m.gizmodo.com/5863849/your-android-phone-is-secretly-recording-everything-you-do?autoplay
I'm sorry if i'm breaking a rule by posting this link, but if true, this is something to really worry about! Just read!
Update: here is a link for an app designed to detect and remove it from your android phones
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=17612559&postcount=110
Hope it helps!
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I happened upon it as well here:
http://news.yahoo.com/smartphone-spying-204933867.html
So, a rooted device doesn't have it? That's good news. I'm now thinking of flashing my G2 to get rid of this (if it has it).
Does anyone here know how to find it on the device?
Joe

We have a thread with same topic in General section

transfer phone and all apps on it to another user

i have a galaxy s2 with many free and paid apps on it. i wish to transfer ownership of the phone and all applications including paid ones to a friend so that he does not have to buy all the paid apps on it again.
i would think it is possible since i paid for use of them if i wish to give up use under my name and assign use to someone else using the same phone i should be able to. i cannot find a way to do this in play store or in appbrain.
does anyone have a clue how to do this or know where to point me for instructions?
i would have better luck contacting Abraham Lincoln than i would trying to contact google.
as it is the phone will probably try to self destruct once i change the gmail account it runs under so i want to have this in place in the stores so it can verify and re-get the apps if necessary without hassle since the stores would know that he owns the phone and apps..
any help would be greatly appreciated.
Cody

I think you should try to contact Abraham Lincoln, that seems like a good plan of attack. Just Google his contact info...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

Apex_Strider said:
I think you should try to contact Abraham Lincoln, that seems like a good plan of attack. Just Google his contact info...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL might be.. they seem to think of everything i cannot believe they didn't think of this. transfer of equipment and associated 'licenses' is very common.

Titanium Backup
Sent from my CM10 KF w/ Tapatalk

sweeds said:
Titanium Backup
Sent from my CM10 KF w/ Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i admit i am not familiar with titanium backup. outside of restoring any odd apps onto the phone so they run again, would that list the paid apps withi play store so when he gets an update to an app they wont try to charge him again? i want his apps account to totally recognize the s2 and all apps as 'his' without question so they will not try to charge him for them. i will have no rights at all to those apps on that phone. i have a galaxy note that i had to pay for all the apps again for it which is as it shoudl be.. it is a different phone...
i want to hand him the phone set up for his account such that when he goes to do anything with play store or appbrain they will recognize the phone and all apps on it free and paid, as his.

It is not possible to transfer apps from one user to another. It isn't even possible to transfer them to a different Google account that you use.
Read the Google terms and conditions and you'll see this on there - nothing you can do about it.
Sent from the darkest corners of my mind.

SimonTS said:
It is not possible to transfer apps from one user to another. It isn't even possible to transfer them to a different Google account that you use.
Read the Google terms and conditions and you'll see this on there - nothing you can do about it.
Sent from the darkest corners of my mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you. no i have not read their drivel. so then they on one hand scream freedom from being locked to a specific provider, and turn around and lock the phone in a far more sadistic and restrictive way. what we need is a company who believes in total freedom and implements such. they are no better than apple then..
wonderful.
i do not find a 'resolved/close' thread button so i will consider this thread closed.

Only one solution
gndmstr said:
thank you. no i have not read their drivel. so then they on one hand scream freedom from being locked to a specific provider, and turn around and lock the phone in a far more sadistic and restrictive way. what we need is a company who believes in total freedom and implements such. they are no better than apple then..
wonderful.
i do not find a 'resolved/close' thread button so i will consider this thread closed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only one solution is to put your gmail account on the phone of your friend. But of course he will have an access to all your mails etc, so I don't think it is a good solution !

HappyDr0id said:
The only one solution is to put your gmail account on the phone of your friend. But of course he will have an access to all your mails etc, so I don't think it is a good solution !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no. i did that once a few years ago for someone i trusted. that person abused the trust and bought all kinds of expensive apps and used my gmail email account as their own. i had to close everything out and start fresh so i will never do that again.
there is no earthly reason why a phone and all its installed apps cannot be moved from one account to another except google's apparent need for control or laziness in coding the proper routines.

gndmstr said:
thank you. no i have not read their drivel. so then they on one hand scream freedom from being locked to a specific provider, and turn around and lock the phone in a far more sadistic and restrictive way. what we need is a company who believes in total freedom and implements such. they are no better than apple then..
wonderful.
i do not find a 'resolved/close' thread button so i will consider this thread closed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They may well use an Open-Source software for their devices, which is a fantastic thing, but they are a business and exist to make money. You don't 'own' the apps when you buy them - you are just getting the right to use them. Anything beyond that would be considered on-selling, even if you are making no money from it. Do you think that Apple would let you transfer apps to a different account? Or Microsoft for that matter?

SimonTS said:
They may well use an Open-Source software for their devices, which is a fantastic thing, but they are a business and exist to make money. You don't 'own' the apps when you buy them - you are just getting the right to use them. Anything beyond that would be considered on-selling, even if you are making no money from it. Do you think that Apple would let you transfer apps to a different account? Or Microsoft for that matter?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when you pay for an app you pay for a license to use that app. there is no reason why you cannot transfer that license to another person as long as you give up all rights to use that license yourself. i have done this with many microsoft applications and they support it. or at least they did as of the beginnings of xp. i would give the original disks to the person, remove the application from my machine and then i called msoft and advised them of the license transfer. they took the info and were happy. apple simply is not a contender in this situation. they are all about control. even moreso than microsoft and i would never have believed i just said that. dont get me wrong they make some incredible hardware and systems, i just totally am at odds with their business philosophies.

Barclay's Apps (Banking + Pingit)

Many of you know that barlcays apps will not working on rooted handsets.
There are a number of work around's to resolve this issue, but it seams with every time they update there software, they also fix the loop holes.
Anyway let me get to the point.
I went mental, i guess you could say writing a thousand word email complaining and explaining how a rooted phone is more secure than an un-rooted phone, is a bit to far.....
Anyway i got a phone call from the development team at barclays, where i stressed my points further, they basicly said, they read the forums etc, and can see that a number of us are unhappy and still fail to understand why barclays apps are banned from rooted devices and other banks app are not....
They also said that they are looking into getting the app ,on rooted phones(but cant guarantee anything). (I kinda told them a jail broken IPhone is as about as secure as leaving your wallet on the floor) so i dont think they will be enabling for Jailbroken IPhone users just yet haha.
Sick of people controlling us if we want to root our phones and (an according to them) run the risk of loosing our bank details then thats our choice, thats almost like barclays saying, everyone leave your wallets at home because there is a chance you could loose it or get mugged!
So yeah i hope they fix this for us rooted bankers
Would appreciate a comment or two if you use the app (Just in case they ever stumble across this)
======Edit======
Maybe this needs to be moved outside of HOX since its a android related topic - Sorry didnt think

I'm with you
They are just losing business by not enabling in on rooted phones... some people have got it to work on rooted phones if you search a bit,.
But come on Barclays!! My other banking apps work fine.

When i purposely login to the halifax app and then disable the internet the window shows a link
to the content for online banking and appends a "jailbroken=yes" to its url android or ios is the same appendage.
but it still runs though...

any easy way to spoof a MAC ID on a rooted Android phone?

macOS has LinkLiar
Windows has tons of free utilities (one example: Technitium Mac Address Changer)
Is there any simple, easy, free, non-bloated utility for spoofing MAC ID on a rooted Android phone?
I travel a lot and sometimes I run across WiFi APs that limit your access to X minutes, usually based on MAC ID, especially in airports. Would like to be prepared to circumvent this if necessary.

ZippyDan said:
macOS has LinkLiar
Windows has tons of free utilities (one example: Technitium Mac Address Changer)
Is there any simple, easy, free, non-bloated utility for spoofing MAC ID on a rooted Android phone?
I travel a lot and sometimes I run across WiFi APs that limit your access to X minutes, usually based on MAC ID, especially in airports. Would like to be prepared to circumvent this if necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think spoofing WiFi Mac id is illegal and not allowed on xda

1. Spoofing MAC IDs is definitely NOT illegal, unless you are in North Korea, I guess.
2. The idea that a forum dedicated to, essentially, hacking mainstream cell phones and tablets with custom software would have some problem with spoofing MAC IDs seems laughable.

ZippyDan said:
1. Spoofing MAC IDs is definitely NOT illegal, unless you are in North Korea, I guess.
2. The idea that a forum dedicated to, essentially, hacking mainstream cell phones and tablets with custom software would have some problem with spoofing MAC IDs seems laughable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is banned here as it violates the tos of many companies. It has been banned here as long a changing the imei is banned. Meaning for ever.

zelendel said:
It is banned here as it violates the tos of many companies. It has been banned here as long a changing the imei is banned. Meaning for ever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, banned from this forum is certainly possible, but that is different from being illegal.
It still seems silly, to me, that a forum dedicated to circumventing all kinds of phone security would be worried about violating TOS. There are many phones on these forums here that do not allow rooting, or bootloader unlocking, and yet tools have been developed to do both things, and much more. Is that not also against TOS?
I'm not convinced that MAC ID spoofing is banned from XDA, or else why would this 1.5 year-old thread still be allowed to exist? https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-root-change-mac-spoof-wifi-mac-t3394540
I also can understand why changing IMEI would be banned from the forums. Changing an IMEI would allow people to circumvent carrier security, worldwide - specifically allowing people to get around IMEI blacklists, which are largely put in place to disincentivize the theft of cell phones. This is a worthwhile endeavor.
On the other hand, spoofing a MAC ID would never allow you to do anything more than circumvent the security of a LOCAL WiFi network.

ZippyDan said:
Well, banned from this forum is certainly possible, but that is different from being illegal.
It still seems silly, to me, that a forum dedicated to circumventing all kinds of phone security would be worried about violating TOS. There are many phones on these forums here that do not allow rooting, or bootloader unlocking, and yet tools have been developed to do both things, and much more. Is that not also against TOS?
I'm not convinced that MAC ID spoofing is banned from XDA, or else why would this 1.5 year-old thread still be allowed to exist? https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-root-change-mac-spoof-wifi-mac-t3394540
I also can understand why changing IMEI would be banned from the forums. Changing an IMEI would allow people to circumvent carrier security, worldwide - specifically allowing people to get around IMEI blacklists, which are largely put in place to disincentivize the theft of cell phones. This is a worthwhile endeavor.
On the other hand, spoofing a MAC ID would never allow you to do anything more than circumvent the security of a LOCAL WiFi network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's there because no one caught it.
You can think what ever you want but thost that could help with this won't because it's not allowed. It's hasn't been allowed for decades.
There is a lot more you can do but that is not for these forums.
Really it surprises you? You might want to look around. Xda picks and chooses what tos and laws they are worried about breaking. I know I was part of the team that got the info for it to be banned from the site.