Database Develop

[Q] question for those who use activesync with exchange server.

Up until recently, the corporation I work for only authorized blackberry devices to sync with the exchange servers. They've just recently started allowing iPhones and certain android devices to do the same.
On the corp intranet page that deals with this it explains that once you setup activesync a phone lock passcode is required, screen timeout of less than 15min is required, and 5 incorrect passcode attempts, lost/stolen, or something like leaving the company will result in a wipe that will affect non work related data loss as well. The next sentence then says that if it can't be wiped remotely it is the employee's responsibility to do so.
I don't know if some of that wording is from the blackberry only days or what.
If I were to go ahead and get authorization for this, would setting up an activesync with the corporation exchange server really allow them to wipe my phone, including personal data? Would it really make my phone require a passcode and limit my screen timeout all by just syncing?
I just don't know what kind of control simply setting up an activesync account is really possible.
I hate using our web access bc it requires and id and 2 passwords and even though I can use lastpass to make that easier its still slow/inconvenient.
I don't want to ask IT about all this bc I don't want them to think I'm trying to get around the system or give me an incorrect answer (fortune 100 company, they deal with a lot and don't know everything about everything ).

One of the features introduced in Froyo with Exchange/ActiveSync support was remote wipe. I believe they'll have no problem wiping your phone, unless you disconnect that account first.

Jack_R1 said:
One of the features introduced in Froyo with Exchange/ActiveSync support was remote wipe. I believe they'll have no problem wiping your phone, unless you disconnect that account first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm actually less concerned with wiping than I am with being forced (by that I mean them somehow enforcing my settings such that I can't make my screen timeout longer than 15min or have to use a passcode to come out of sleep). I've never lost a phone and am willing to deal with consequences of not having a damn unlock code. I just don't want my phone to be locked into particular settings. Hope that makes sense.

[Q] Question about Anti Theft SW on market

There are so many SW available ..for lost or stolen phone.
The protection / safeguard features offered by them are impressive.
But, I feel that anyone who can deliberately
Hard Reset the phone installed with these SW
can effectively negate or bypass the protection.
Perhaps there are other ways too which I am not aware of.
Unless there is some form of protection to prevent
this.
Can this be done ? Is there a way to fully protect your
phone from any tampering unless a password is entered ?
Thank you.

I guess not, but I remember having WaveSecure installed on my G1 in the system. If the thief would then wipe your phone, the program is still installed on it. A thief would have to completely install a new rom to wipe off the program. That's the best solution you can get right now I guess, but for that you'll have to be rooted. ( https://www.wavesecure.com/blog/post/turning-on-gps-remotely.aspx )
I don't know if this is possible with other programs, but am actually interested. Anyone knows about a free program that can track / wipe / lock stuff up and installed in the android system?

There is a project called prey which i'm testing. It's free but not (yet) as advanced as some others.
Google on Prey project and it should come up.
Sent from my LG-P990 using XDA App

Escobarretje said:
I guess not, but I remember having WaveSecure installed on my G1 in the system. If the thief would then wipe your phone, the program is still installed on it. A thief would have to completely install a new rom to wipe off the program. That's the best solution you can get right now I guess, but for that you'll have to be rooted. ( https://www.wavesecure.com/blog/post/turning-on-gps-remotely.aspx )
I don't know if this is possible with other programs, but am actually interested. Anyone knows about a free program that can track / wipe / lock stuff up and installed in the android system?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps a solution is to have a Unique ID Key.
Without which the phone cannot be tampered with, rooted, hard reset
or anything be done to it without this Master Key feature.
The Unique ID key should be one off and issued by the manufacturer
for each phone. And this key is required even by the service station
to open the phone. If the phone is sold by the owner then he
can provide the ID key to the buyer with a small test feature
embedded within for the buyer to verify if key is the right one.
This may help in some ways as the thief would then be forced to
return the phone to the owner for some monetary consideration
rather than be stuck with a brick.
Today's smart phones contain a lot of information and data potential
and these could be much more valuable ( to the owner ) than
the phone itself. And many more new capabilities are being
introduced such as e wallet and e credit cards etc.
And it is not convenient always to update/backup the data on to a PC etc.
The data on the SD card is not an issue as it can always
be saved after encryption.
Read recently that in UK a phone is stolen every 12 seconds.
I am sure the figures for stolen phones are high in other countries too.

I am using Theft Aware.
It is NOT overwritten by a hard reset.
It can only be overwritten by installing a new ROM which is a significant additional protection against the average thief.
It does not require an internet connection (remotely controlled by SMS)
It only costs 3€.
It works flawlessly on my Optimus 2X.
I have successfully tested most of the features.
The only disadvantage is that I have to reconfigure it after each ROM update.

luik said:
I am using Theft Aware.
The only disadvantage is that I have to reconfigure it after each ROM update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But it doesn't take long to reconfigure. I agree Theft Aware is excellent on the O2X.

I use Ceberus on mine and androidlost on by backup defy. Ceberus has more features

[Q] Phone encryption and performance hit

Did anybody try to encrypt the z3compact? Is the performance hit noticeable or negligible?
I'm very fought about encrypting my phone. Would I lose the smartlock feature?
Thanks in advance

I encrypted it, including SD card. There is no visible impact I would say. I think PIN and password is the only unlock option after encryption, the biggest drawback for me is that you can't manage it with Sony Companion after encryption (as Sony did not manage to implement support it seems).

PIN and password are the only options available after encryption and you'll probably lose smartlock.
In KK at least performance was about the same. Though it did reduce my battery life...

i9300usr said:
I was curious to know if this was true with Sony Bridge too (Mac app), and I found this thread on the Sony forums. The Sony mods there insist that this is a choice by Sony to maintain security. Apparently none of them have heard of encrypted backups (à la iPhones). So, possible this will never be implemented.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not that important, ADB backups work and are more complete, only drawback is the time they take

i9300usr said:
I was curious to know if this was true with Sony Bridge too (Mac app), and I found this thread on the Sony forums. The Sony mods there insist that this is a choice by Sony to maintain security. Apparently none of them have heard of encrypted backups (à la iPhones). So, possible this will never be implemented.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i9300usr said:
So, just to make sure I understand you correctly: ADB allows users to make backups of encrypted Sony Xperia phones? Are the backups encrypted or unencrypted? And is the restore process straightforward?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes ADB allows you to make a full encrypted backup of your phone (including apps installation files). The restore process is straightforward as well but it's not as complete as say an iPhone backup. ADB might not be able to access some files, especially ADB might restore all your apps but not your launcher settings, folders, etc...
Even though the backup is encrypted, keep in mind that if you use a four digits code it can be bruteforced in less than 10s so encryption does not mean much in this regard.

difto said:
...Even though the backup is encrypted, keep in mind that if you use a four digits code it can be bruteforced in less than 10s so encryption does not mean much in this regard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is interesting. Are you referring to a code ADB requires or the code used on the phone? I use a pattern on the phone.

scottjb said:
This is interesting. Are you referring to a code ADB requires or the code used on the phone? I use a pattern on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you encrypt your phone you cannot use the pattern anymore. The ADB password is the same as your phone password so either 4 digits or a real password.

difto said:
If you encrypt your phone you cannot use the pattern anymore. The ADB password is the same as your phone password so either 4 digits or a real password.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have my phone encrypted and use a pattern. I was not required to change it to a PIN when I encrypted it.
That's why I asked, I wonder how ABD would handle the pattern.

You can transfert files when the phone is mounted as mass storage and unlocked, that's why Sony isn't consistent. You can also transfert files using a third party ftp server like es file browser.

I encrypted my phone last week. Not really noticed any difference in terms of general performance and battery life. One thing I hate is that if you fail to enter the correct password 10 times your phone gets wiped. I hate this because it just makes it easy for people to troll you and makes a thief's job easier because your essentially getting your phone ready to be sold on and also locking yourself out so it can't be tracked.
Another negative is startup takes forever but, you don't really reboot phones much anyway

i9300usr said:
Sounds like something I might actually use. Thanks for the feedback.
So, this is by default and can't be disabled by the user? Hmm, Apple's iOS at least makes the wipe optional.
So much this. Makes backing up your phone every day a necessity just in case. But then:
a) how many people are actually aware the wipe is mandatory for encrypted phones,
b) how many would be mean-spirited enough to actually do this,
and
c) how can people tell if your phone's encrypted?
I think the likelihood is low, but I guess that depends on the company you keep. But if it's that kind of company, you're probably wise enough to keep the phone in your possession all the time anyway.
Unless you're running 5.1, and have enabled "Device Protection" - if Google have actually implemented it? Did the promised "kill switch" actually make it to our phones?
How useful is the tracking anyway? Do the Police even care? I've read articles where the owners themselves had to retrieve their phones, and that can be a very tricky prospect.
Yup, very infrequently these days.
Well, this is all better than the non-existent encryption on my S3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly, no you can't disable the wipe after 10 failed attempts. Well I'm uni student and you know what some people are like when it comes to trolling! I don't think z3 compact has the device protection. Not mine anyway. The police should track it. Well I've heard they help here in the UK

I think it's better to go without encryption, root with locked bootloader and install Cerberus to system partition, and use a strong lock pattern or password.
No worries of 10 try wipes, more secure lockscreen options, and can still track the phone even after a factory reset (unless they reflash the entire system.)

cschmitt said:
I think it's better to go without encryption, root with locked bootloader and install Cerberus to system partition, and use a strong lock pattern or password.
No worries of 10 try wipes, more secure lockscreen options, and can still track the phone even after a factory reset (unless they reflash the entire system.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think there's a tendency to speak too lightly of rooting. It invalidates warranty, which is a big deal for a US$400–600 phone such as this. Even after the warranty expires, I think it places far too much responsibility on the user to solve any problems that may arise, which can be onerous if the phone actually serves a purpose (as opposed to being merely a prestige item, which I'm sure it frequently is).
Rooting is a nice concept, but it presents real-world problems that can entirely negate any benefits gained; it's not the panacea it purports to be.

What exactly does encryption do?

I ask because after installing stock MRA58R the contents of my N6 were still visible in Windows Explorer. So I reformatted userdata & cache, and then used the new NRT 2.0.7 to flash MRA58R again - wipe, no root, no recovery, no no-encrypt, just bog-standard install. The "Encrypting device" appeared for literally a few seconds, and now as it's sitting re-installing my apps from Google I can still see the contents of internal memory in Explorer. No USB debug, just a "Use USB for file transfer".
I have a multi-digit PIN on the phone, set up as part of the initialisation process.
I went through all this because my wife's phone was stolen last weekend and it was a wake-up call for me about my data security.
I'm sure I'm being particularly stupid. Can someone please educate me?
Thanks...

And maybe I'm answering my own question...
The contents are visible to me because I entered the device PIN?
Anyone without the PIN gets to see nothing?
And that includes any access via ADB/fastboot?
But is this any different from a non-encrypted device?

dahawthorne said:
Anyone without the PIN gets to see nothing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a method to store data that is only readable with the key used for encryption.
Your pin is something different and is used for access permission of a device.

Thanks, but my understanding is that the device PIN is the encryption key. You can't set encryption without having a device PIN. What else could it possibly be using?
So I guess I still don't understand if having my device encrypted is any better than having a simple PIN-secured unencrypted device. If someone can see my data via bootloader mode or some other back door how secure is it?
If I look at an encrypted file I expect to see hieroglyphics. That's not what I'm seeing here. I see either nothing at all because the device isn't recognised by my PC, or I have full access to the data.
So what effect should I expect to see that is different/more secure than a simple PIN-protected device? What's the actual benefit of encryption?

dahawthorne said:
Thanks, but my understanding is that the device PIN is the encryption key. You can't set encryption without having a device PIN. What else could it possibly be using?
So I guess I still don't understand if having my device encrypted is any better than having a simple PIN-secured unencrypted device. If someone can see my data via bootloader mode or some other back door how secure is it?
If I look at an encrypted file I expect to see hieroglyphics. That's not what I'm seeing here. I see either nothing at all because the device isn't recognised by my PC, or I have full access to the data.
So what effect should I expect to see that is different/more secure than a simple PIN-protected device? What's the actual benefit of encryption?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ill be honest. Your device is only as secure as the person that steals it. No amount of security has been 100% proven to prevent the data being attainable if they have access to the device its self. While I am not saying the average thieve will be bale to do it but, then all they care about is the device and end up wiping the device and reselling it without a care about the info inside it.

dahawthorne said:
Thanks, but my understanding is that the device PIN is the encryption key.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That wouldn't be a good encryption, you usually need at least 256 bits to encrypt a volume. The pin is only to unlock the encryption key that's stored on a separate partition. Also to unlock the phone.
If you stick a USB cable into a phone that's on, it switches to USB charging mode by default, so you need to unlock it to change it to MTP or Camera. If you want to connect as USB debugging, you first must allow the new computer's fingerprint to connect, so you need the pin to unlock the phone again.
If encryption is used correctly, then you must enter your pin to resume boot. But you can just set MTP as default connection in a custom ROM, build it as userdebug that doesn't require ADB fingerprint, and set pin for unlocking lock screen only

Thanks, people. It looks like encryption is pretty well pointless then if any Tom, **** or Harry can just install a new ROM or recovery and get access to the data... Burning my battery for nothing but a lot of security hot air...?
Speaking of which, I've just rebooted my phone and despite having checked the "Require passcode to start Android", which actually did work at least once (meaning I had to enter a PIN 3 times, for Android, SIM and device), this time there was no Android challenge, only SIM & device.
This security really isn't up to the job at all.

That is incorrect. With out knowing the key, as long as you select require pon at boot, the only thing they could do is reformat your phone and continue using it. No matter what, the key to your data is needed to access it.

dahawthorne said:
Thanks, people. It looks like encryption is pretty well pointless then if any Tom, **** or Harry can just install a new ROM or recovery and get access to the data... Burning my battery for nothing but a lot of security hot air...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really don't get where this comes from?!? It's a very serious security measure, and it's really not its fault if people dynamite holes into the phone's security like using userdebug builds, and having custom recoveries.
The point is, you have to decide if you want a phone open for modding and to use to store sensitive data on it. There isn't a system that really can accommodate both.
But if you don't have any sensitive data on your phone then encrypting is really pointless.

Thanks again, guys.
@scryan - "select require pin at boot" - does this mean the "require PIN before starting Android"? This is what I mentioned I had but now I don't. An extra layer of security disappeared for no reason I can think of, and I see no option to switch it back on, since the only time it was offered to me was during the initial setup. I still have SIM lock and device lock, but more is better, no?
@istperson - I get the trade-off between security and flexibility. I would consider my photos, for example, to be secure data - even if I'm happy showing them to people I know, I don't want strangers poking around in them.
So bottom line - I still see no argument that says that encryption provides something that the PIN doesn't. How exactly is a PIN-protected encrypted phone more secure than a PIN-protected unencrypted phone?
Edit: I found the "require PIN on boot" option in one of the security tabs, and it appears to work. Back to 3 levels of security, but still in the dark about encryption benefits.

dahawthorne said:
So bottom line - I still see no argument that says that encryption provides something that the PIN doesn't. How exactly is a PIN-protected encrypted phone more secure than a PIN-protected unencrypted phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If they hit you on the head, take your phone, tear it apart, and remove the sdcard, it won't be readable because of the encryption. If it's unencrypted they can access every data.
But don't store naked selfies on you phone. or in the cloud, then you're safe.
Also the pin to boot doesn't go away by itself without tinkering. Go back to Settings/Security and switch on the Require pin to boot, or whatever it's called.

Basically encryption is how the data is stored on the device. Instead of the normal readable format, its scattered all around in a pattern that requires a key to calculate how to put it all back together.
When you computer goes to read a file, it pulls out a chunk of data, looks at what the right pattern is, then ignores the pieces it doesn't need.
When you phone is running you dont see any of this, because your phone is always in the middle decoding.
If I tried to access your data by circumventing the OS and its checks, all I would see was scrambled randomness.
Decent little wiki entry from arch linux
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Disk_encryption#How_the_encryption_works
Its more aimed at computers, but its the same thing...

"it won't be readable because of the encryption."
That I understand - thanks. I suppose I was just a bit uneasy because it seems a bit too simple to get in, but obviously tinkering with my own device is far simpler than tinkering with someone else's.
I'll put this one to bed now. I'm very grateful for everyone's patience in answering my questions.

Advice on how to recover media files on locked and one rooted stock OnePlus 3T

Hello,
I'm a bit of desperate and I come here to XDA with the hope to find some useful advide. :crying:
I know you probably have read many posts like these, but if you will read mine I hope you will find it different because there are some technical things to be explained (interesting at least for me).
I've lost 99% of my photos and videos taken in July on my phone (64 GB Memory model).
I know I know I should have implemented some sort of backups whatsoever in the cloud or with a home NAS, but unfortunately for me I'm not that kind of guy. The Android built-in backup is also disabled.
What has really happened here I think that probably somehow my daughter has grabbed my phone and has played with it and has deleted about hundreds of photos and videos taken in July. Of her mainly! Never underestimate the damage capabilities of a toddler.
In the meanwhile I've taken lots of photos in August and used a phone a lot and also got the OTA update to Oxygen 4.1.7 / Android 7.1.1
Now I have found that most of July media files are missing!!!!
At the moment there are 25 GB used out of the whole 54 in the Internal Archive Memory as it seen on the Phone Setup.
I have bought DiskDigger Pro for Android but somehow it cannot find the right files all it finds are Whatsapp Images and other files. Does not really find the missing files which I suspect have been somehow deleted.
I think it needs root privileged to dig deeper but I don't understand why, in theory the files should be recoverable on the same partition as the DCIM folder. To my understanding the files should be marked as "deleted" in the same partition as where the DCIM folder is. But there is also this TRIM mechanism on the newer phones flash memories that confuses me.
Q1) Can you please clarify why this and all other media files recovery programs which seem to be a bit serious need root to recover missing media files?
So given as assumption that I need to root, I've read here and there and it seems that sometime ago for OP One that was the possibility to root without unlocking the boot loader. But if I unlock somehow all the data will be wiped. And I fear this will make any further software base recovery method like diskdigger or photorec hopeless even with elevated root privileges.
Q2) Can you confirm that I cannot root without unlocking the bootloader and therefore without wiping the device?
For your information I have also bought tonight a 100 USD root + files recovery package one oneclickroot but the agent promised to refund me after I told her the model of my phone (scary!).
Q3) I know a couple of things in Linux, do you think is it possible without root to create a raw image of the internal phone memory or the proper partitions with a tool such as "dd" ? Then I would process those raw images on a Windows or linux PC with file recovery software.
Q4) Do you think that the wiping caused by the bootloader unlocking will render any possible further diskdigger like solution without hope? Or should I go that way because the wiping is not so deep after all?
I don't know what to think, the fact that the phone is also encrypted makes me fear the worst. Maybe after the wiping it will get re-encrypted over.
Q5) Any advice in general before contacting kroll on track and pay thousands of dollar with the hope to recover?
Thanks a lot for any useful reply! I hope this topic will bring a definitive guide on how to recover files on unrooted oneplus 3t!

I can't answer all your questions here, however I can say with 100% confidence that you cannot root without unlocking bootloader. Some people claim of other methods, but keep away from them.
And there is nothing to be scared of when rooting OnePlus 3T if you follow the correct steps.
Are you sure that your daughter deleted those photos? How can she specifically delete photos taken in July? Do you have Google photos installed?

Aneejian said:
I can't answer all your questions here, however I can say with 100% confidence that you cannot root without unlocking bootloader. Some people claim of other methods, but keep away from them.
And there is nothing to be scared of when rooting OnePlus 3T if you follow the correct steps.
Are you sure that your daughter deleted those photos? How can she specifically delete photos taken in July? Do you have Google photos installed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your answer.
I'm not scared of rooting, as I have rooted other phones in the past. I'm ready to spend 1000USD and maybe even more to recover these media files and therefore I'm not really scared of rooting or bricking the device. What really scares me is that by
unlocking bootloader -> wiping -> rooting -> (new encryption of the filesystem ?)
I will render the deleted missing files completely unrecoverable.
I don't have google photos and I'm not 100% sure that my daughter has deleted the files. Maybe I've done a cut & paste which has not worked correctly on the phone as I've only 1 or 2 days of the beginning of July in my external hard drive. But it's more likely that my daughter has played with the gallery application on the phone.
I don't have a lock gesture or pin and my screen can be unlocked just by sliding, however it seems my phone is encrypted.
This encryption I don't know how it works and how it relates with the bootloader unlocking, if someone have more information I would be glad to hear.
And also I've done some more research and it seems impossible to perform a "dd" command of the partitions without first being superuser / root. ;-(
Regards,
Claudio

Did you try connecting your phone to the pc and use the programm recuva?
I managed to restore my files with it once

I can feel your pain of loosing those valuable moments of your daughter. I feel sorry that I can help you much with this.
In future, I suggest you to use Google photos which can automatically backup all your photos for free.

StarShoot97 said:
Did you try connecting your phone to the pc and use the programm recuva?
I managed to restore my files with it once
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think that recuva can do anything here. I am not allowed to past links here but as explained here
ht*ps://forums.androidcentral.com/ambassador-guides-tips-how-tos/500142-guide-recovering-deleted-files.html
and here
ht*ps://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-nexus/general/guide-internal-memory-data-recovery-yes-t1994705
Recuva can't do anything for internal memory.
But thanks for the hint!

Aneejian said:
I can feel your pain of loosing those valuable moments of your daughter. I feel sorry that I can help you much with this.
In future, I suggest you to use Google photos which can automatically backup all your photos for free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One of the most affordable options I'm considering is this:
1) get another oneplus 3t
2) take some pictures and videos on it
3) delete those pictures and videos
4) root it
5) Install diskdigger to check if he can find anything after the wipe
I feel huge pain, my wife is also kindly pushing me. ^^

The problem ought to be that since this phone is force encrypted per default, unlocking the bootloader will destroy the encryption key for the previous installation won't it? Isn't that they point as to avoid anyone accessing your data by simply doing a factory restore and still keep the data in the internal storage. At least that's what I though, else where's the security of someone steals your phone.
Without that, any recovery software will just see rubbish when trying to recovery anything since it's encrypted.

pitrus- said:
The problem ought to be that since this phone is force encrypted per default, unlocking the bootloader will destroy the encryption key for the previous installation won't it? Isn't that they point as to avoid anyone accessing your data by simply doing a factory restore and still keep the data in the internal storage. At least that's what I though, else where's the security of someone steals your phone.
Without that, any recovery software will just see rubbish when trying to recovery anything since it's encrypted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot, eventually some technical info on xda
If I lose my phone someone can use it and read everything because there is no lock, no pin, no gesture nothing. I would try a remote wipe via google android devices or something like that. Life is too short to unlock your phone every time you look at it even if it is via finger print!
This being said I've read year
ht*ps://source.android.com/security/encryption/full-disk
this paragraph among the others is not clear to me
Upon first boot, the device creates a randomly generated 128-bit master key and then hashes it with a default password and stored salt. The default password is: "default_password" However, the resultant hash is also signed through a TEE (such as TrustZone), which uses a hash of the signature to encrypt the master key.
You can find the default password defined in the Android Open Source Project cryptfs.c file.
When the user sets the PIN/pass or password on the device, only the 128-bit key is re-encrypted and stored. (ie. user PIN/pass/pattern changes do NOT cause re-encryption of userdata.) Note that managed device may be subject to PIN, pattern, or password restrictions.
Does this paragraph give me hope or not?
Thanks a lot for your interest! Sleepless nights go on here.

lallissimo said:
I know I know I should have implemented some sort of backups whatsoever in the cloud or with a home NAS, but unfortunately for me I'm not that kind of guy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a really weak excuse. If the photos were that valuable to you, you should have been backing them up. There really is no excuse. Backup options are available that are effective, free, and require hardly any action on your part (aside form the initial setup - you've done more by disabling the default backup options).
Recovering deleted data is always a hit-or-miss proposition, at best. The longer you have the phone on, the higher the chance those memory sectors will be over-written. May have already happened.
---------- Post added at 10:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:46 AM ----------
lallissimo said:
I'm not really scared of rooting or bricking the device. What really scares me is that by
unlocking bootloader -> wiping -> rooting -> (new encryption of the filesystem ?)
I will render the deleted missing files completely unrecoverable.
I don't have a lock gesture or pin and my screen can be unlocked just by sliding, however it seems my phone is encrypted.
This encryption I don't know how it works and how it relates with the bootloader unlocking, if someone have more information I would be glad to hear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't matter. Unlocking the bootloader wipes all data on the phone by definition, regardless of whether it is encrypted or not. At least that is how it worked on previous Android devices I've owned, that did not have encryption by default. So I'd be willing to bet the same is try on the 3T.
lallissimo said:
I'm not 100% sure that my daughter has deleted the files. Maybe I've done a cut & paste which has not worked correctly on the phone as I've only 1 or 2 days of the beginning of July in my external hard drive. But it's more likely that my daughter has played with the gallery application on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find it a little unlikely your daughter deleted all the photos. I don't see an easy way she could have done that to hundreds of photos, without an improbable number of screen taps. I'd use a good file explorer, and just keep digging. They might just be moved somewhere odd.

redpoint73 said:
This is a really weak excuse. If the photos were that valuable to you, you should have been backing them up. There really is no excuse. Backup options are available that are effective, free, and require hardly any action on your part (aside form the initial setup - you've done more by disabling the default backup options).
Recovering deleted data is always a hit-or-miss proposition, at best. The longer you have the phone on, the higher the chance those memory sectors will be over-written. May have already happened.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the interest in my thread I really appreciate it.
I know a things or two about backups and I see your point. There is an ancient Chinese proverb saying something like this: Backup is that thing that should have done before.
However, being on xda I'd like to keep the discussion on a technical level if possible.
If you have any information or links on the way the internal memory is managed at physical level I'd like to discuss about it. As far as I know in order to extend the duration of this solid state memories the system makes his best to write on the blocks the least possible. I don't think I have already overwritten all the blocks of the internal memory. We'll see.
It doesn't matter. Unlocking the bootloader wipes all data on the phone by definition, regardless of whether it is encrypted or not. At least that is how it worked on previous Android devices I've owned, that did not have encryption by default. So I'd be willing to bet the same is try on the 3T.
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I'm almost sure that the wiping does not scrape the memory with all 0 and 1. That would take really a lot of time and also that would reduce the duration of the memory.
Take a look here for example
h*tps://www.krollontrack.co.uk/blog//top-tips/what-you-need-to-know-about-androids-factory-reset-function/
so my real enemy here is encryption.
I find it a little unlikely your daughter deleted all the photos. I don't see an easy way she could have done that to hundreds of photos, without an improbable number of screen taps. I'd use a good file explorer, and just keep digging. They might just be moved somewhere odd.
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You could be right, still I need to be root to dig deeper.

lallissimo said:
I'm almost sure that the wiping does not scrape the memory with all 0 and 1. That would take really a lot of time and also that would reduce the duration of the memory.
Take a look here for example
h*tps://www.krollontrack.co.uk/blog//top-tips/what-you-need-to-know-about-androids-factory-reset-function/
so my real enemy here is encryption.
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Click to collapse
This is just wishful thinking. That article sounds really paranoid to me. Whatever method the system is using to "scramble" the data is going to put it out of the realm of the cheap, consumer data retrieval tools (as you've pretty much already experienced). The article states:
A recovery is possible by looking at the data structures from a low-level and using specialist tools to recreate the data into a useable format
We aren't talking about free or $5 Android apps here. We're probably talking about specialist software that costs thousands of dollars. Yes, technically data is almost always retrievable. Law enforcement has tools that can retrieve "ghost" data images even after being overwritten multiple times. But such tools are feasible for consumers from a cost/benefit standpoint.

redpoint73 said:
This is a really weak excuse. If the photos were that valuable to you, you should have been backing them up. There really is no excuse. Backup options are available that are effective, free, and require hardly any action on your part (aside form the initial setup - you've done more by disabling the default backup options).
Recovering deleted data is always a hit-or-miss proposition, at best. The longer you have the phone on, the higher the chance those memory sectors will be over-written. May have already happened.
---------- Post added at 10:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:46 AM ----------
It doesn't matter. Unlocking the bootloader wipes all data on the phone by definition, regardless of whether it is encrypted or not. At least that is how it worked on previous Android devices I've owned, that did not have encryption by default. So I'd be willing to bet the same is try on the 3T.
I find it a little unlikely your daughter deleted all the photos. I don't see an easy way she could have done that to hundreds of photos, without an improbable number of screen taps. I'd use a good file explorer, and just keep digging. They might just be moved somewhere odd.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
redpoint73 said:
This is just wishful thinking. That article sounds really paranoid to me. Whatever method the system is using to "scramble" the data is going to put it out of the realm of the cheap, consumer data retrieval tools (as you've pretty much already experienced). The article states:
A recovery is possible by looking at the data structures from a low-level and using specialist tools to recreate the data into a useable format
We aren't talking about free or $5 Android apps here. We're probably talking about specialist software that costs thousands of dollars. Yes, technically data is almost always retrievable. Law enforcement has tools that can retrieve "ghost" data images even after being overwritten multiple times. But such tools are feasible for consumers from a cost/benefit standpoint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If someone has more technical information about the encryption part I'll gladly look at it.
As far as wiping is concerned I have given a quick look at the source code, so for example here:
https://www.pentestpartners.com/sec...ta-from-wiped-android-devices-a-how-to-guide/
and if this is still what's inside my android phone I'm sure that mkfs.ext4 is nothing to fear when you need to recover data.
Problem for me is encryption, but yest I'm considering expensive solutions too. Just for the sake of the technical satisfaction, of course.