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i was sitting here on XDA and i saw that a user here had his phone stolen from him, and people posted several solutions like GPSTracker and latitude but the user did not have either installed. would anyone be interested in a remote brick? basically it would be like SMS commander, but you send a text that holds a password and the correct brick phrase and the phone will brick. the best(and worst) way i can see to do this would be to have an old radio on the sdcard and have the haykuro SPL on there as well. then when the phone receives the text it flashes the old radio and then the haykuro SPL which we all know would brick the phone. i am still working on possible implementation or another way of doing this(maybe run "wipe all" in terminal), but i was just wondering if anyone would be interested before i really try it out.
maybe in future if app works well our ROM devs could include in their build and then it couldn't be removed(easily). the main reason i would want something like this is so if my phone was stolen i could make it useless to the idiot that stole it.
few minor details that would need to be worked out:
won't work if SIM is changed as number would be different
if i use the terminal command "wipe all" then theif would only need to have a new ROM to install and it would be all better
on the of chance you get the phone back you would want to be able to easily fix the phone
let me know what you think, keep in mind this is a very early stage idea and i haven't put more than 20 minutes thought into it
cant lie the idea is brilliant but execution would be the make or break point, and i have a feelin this will take alot of test g1's to get working lol...and multiple devs as a team to get up off the ground. But im all for it, i have had bad luck in the past especially with sidekicks and etc and this would be a perfect idea to have.
Great idea but don't forget when restoring it (if you manage to retrieve your phone), it should only 'unlock' to a certain pass phrase pre-set by the user. If not anyone could just run the 'unlock' command to start using it again.
On the whole, a great idea.
However, I think flashing an incompatible theme with your current build would be sufficient, seeing as 99% of the people who go around stealing phones would have no idea how to fix a G1 stuck on the T-Mo/Not-Flashing-Android Screen.
Although the Old Radio+New SPL combo ensures that there will be minimal data retrieval, it also seems like overkill for the majority of circumstances, seeing as your phone would become a paperweight.
The terminal command "wipe all" will wipe the data and system partitions and crash the phone, when the person who stole it tries to reboot it it won't boot
Even if you wipe (or remove the SD card) most builds would still boot regardless. A remote kill switch has been around on many platforms for some time, hell even Microsoft have been threatening to use it on Vista for pirated builds but it has never happened.
In this case, perhaps the app would need root access, so it could remotely reboot the G1 and run a script to force a boot loop, if you wanted to go as far as rendering the mobile temp unusable.
However the G1 as it is has plenty of security flaws... I mean many of us managed to get root without issue and I'm sure any google searches will point them to this forum. There is no security for fastboot, nor accessing the recovery image so people can pretty much do as they please - If they know how.
Yeah, I don't know about bricking the phone because it would suck if eventually you did get it back. Then you're stuck with a brick phone maybe theres away around it though which could work not sure how you'd implement this though. I mean the idea is there just going to be abit hard to execute because the problem is with all these theft problems, if they have the phone off when the sms is sent then it doesn't work.
I wouldn't mind having this. If someone snatched my G1 out of my hands and got away, I would just use my friend's cell 1 minute later to make my phone a paper weight, then have peace of mind. lol
Dladu said:
Yeah, I don't know about bricking the phone because it would suck if eventually you did get it back. Then you're stuck with a brick phone maybe theres away around it though which could work not sure how you'd implement this though. I mean the idea is there just going to be abit hard to execute because the problem is with all these theft problems, if they have the phone off when the sms is sent then it doesn't work.
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Click to collapse
i am noting the issues, what i am planning is something similar to SMS commander, when the phone gets a text that says a certain thing it does something. if the phone is off then the text will still arrive when the phone is powered on, hell i could probably even remove the recovery screen and then the person would need to fastboot the phone.
sms commander just "listens" for the text of an incoming message and if it matches a certain phrase it runs a command. obviously i would need root, but at this point if you haven't rooted your phone this(if it works) woulud do it.
with that said, i am researching the APIs to see what would need to be done, i used to have something like this on my old 8525 and i never had to use it, but i'm paranoid about stuff like this
i love this idea, there was this time when i had sold my touch pro on craigslist but the buyer had ripped me off! so that just pissed me off!
(good name ideas)
Cold-Droid
Lock Me
Ban-Droid
Dream Lock
Use me...Not!
Where's My owner
or just a plain app called
"Brick"
This app would be cool if it detected the owners sim card so if it were ever replaced it would say wrong sim card enter passkey (which they will not know)
and if they were to ever put the sim card back in then still it will tell you(sim card has been removed please eneter passkey)
or something like that! just an idea!
kind of like sim lock but instead of sim being locked, the device will be locked!
Why you would want to destroy a phone?
Just remote wipe your data, thats enough. Write that as an app!
Not bricking!
Have you guys used/considered Mobile Defense?
So here is my idea for this application.
Instead of completely bricking the phone, make it so that if the SIM card is removed, or the secret SMS message is sent that it does a complete phone lock and displays a message on-screen stating "This phone is suspected to have been lost/stolen. Please call XXX number to return the property.". All the while sending precise GPS locations updated every x minutes to a preset Email address and/or send a SMS to a preset phone number. This way the real owner may be able to easily recover the phone and none of the information is exposed. The only way to unlock it is to put in a code to unlock it. After x amount of days without being recovered, the program will issue a recoverable brick all the while showing the same message. After x more days after the soft brick, the phone will format all ROM and be unrecoverable. By that time, the real owner would have already gotten his/her replacement G1 if they had insurance, and the thief will have a fancy paperweight.
Great idea
Is this going to get anywhere?
that'd be funny if you could lock the phone at a screen that has a customized text.
Like F**K YOU B*TICH
or maybe
If Found Contact -
ETC. and it just stays at that screen. wonder if thats possible
edit- i shoulda read page 2 haha. same idea as Setnev lol.
I have a dead phone I'm toying with. It's not on with the network. This is my first attempt at rooting etc. I would like to just have it as a sort of game/fun/toy phone. I have a G1 from Tmobile that I use and not going to try and root until I get a new one, then perhaps also have that as a game/fun/toy phone. Anyway, I have a Sprint Hero and how I've been getting apps and such on it is by swapping SD cards and doing a back up or connect via wi fi from one of the sites with a list of freeware to download. I want to get rid of the apps that I don't want/need for this phone. I'm not going to use it to call people so I would like that off too if I could. I would like to keep the wi fi though. I am new to this and trying to figure everything out. I just got busybox and rom manager on the phone. So, now what? How do I get those annoying stock apps I don't want/need? I really don't need to change the whole face of it, just those apps to be removed and I'll be happy with it. Thanks
by the way
I forgot the build.
I'm on 2.31.651.7
rooted from one click that I found from the unlockr
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Hero_CDMA#Miscellaneous_Simple_How-To.27s.
Please search around, most of the common questions, more often than not, have already been answered.
ok thanks. it's just so time consuming to be sitting on the computer trying to search and read through so much. I don't sit on my butt all day staring at a screen. I have a baby and any screen time is when he's sleeping. It's just easier to ask and hope for an answer. I'll look through the links later. Thanks.
I also want it as some type of "toy" for him to play with instead of taking MY phone! lol. I have toddler lock on it and he seems to like it. But I don't really want him to have it until he stops "chewing" on it. My G1 case cover is ruined from him. lol. oh well. He likes to play with phones because everyone else does. They start early now. I downloaded all sort of kid games so when that day comes, I can say, here you go when he takes mine!
But I'm lost on figuring out if there is a program I need? Or if the superoneclick has it in the app. I have it on our Windows computer and I'm currently on our Mac. And that computer is so slow and now I have to spend the time to try and clean IT out. Its running Vista and I have a copy of 7 but I don't feel like dealing with all of that. sigh.
Does tethering work with phone to phone? Like connect my non network phone to my G1 for internet like when we go on vacation and my nonsmart phone partner wants to use the net and so do I, that we can share. I'm guessing USB cable would do that? I don't know, there is just so much to read up on for a newbe trying to figure it out. Time for sleep now.
mistyshadow said:
ok thanks. it's just so time consuming to be sitting on the computer trying to search and read through so much. I don't sit on my butt all day staring at a screen. I have a baby and any screen time is when he's sleeping. It's just easier to ask and hope for an answer. I'll look through the links later. Thanks.
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Well, nobody around here sits around on their butts staring at the screen, waiting for people like you to ask questions... so that they can answer. If you think of this as "Customer Service", think again. Everyone here has primary jobs, they do this because they like it and are passionate about it.
Having said that, nobody is saying "No" to answering questions... just try searching and looking up the obvious links, first.
Geeze. sorry. I just thought Maybe someone else maybe already had done it and point me in the right direction. I try searching and can't find anything in what I'm trying to do. So a here, try this and this and such would be nice. Thought I give a bg on what I wanted to do with it. And I'm still new and get lost around here. Tech langauage changes every 6 months along with the phones. I see "flash" and I think of the Adobe program or the flash on a camera. So forgive me. And I guess nevermind.
I agree with the others here. There is a wealth of tutorials available, and when used will achieve your goal of a "toy". However, I will help you out by providing a framework of things you will need to do. Bear in mind you will need to do the searching though. This way you will learn more about the phone, and you will have a better sense of what to do if something doesn't go right, etc.
First, you need to have your phone rooted. Rooting allows you full access over the phone. Most rooting utilities will install "Busybox", a set of binaries that grants you the ability to use special commands. Next, you will want to install a custom Recovery image. There are two mainstream ones available: Amon-RA and ClockworkMod. Either is fine. The recovery image allows you to make backups of your phone, install new ROMs, and reset settings, among other things. After the recovery image is installed, you will want to search for a list of "safe to delete apps".
I hope this helps you somewhat. If you have anymore questions feel free to PM me.
Mike
Recently my BFF thinks that her boyfriend is starting to lose feeling for her and start finding other girls. She wants to break up but her boyfriend won't let her go unless she provides evidence that he is losing feeling/cheating on her. She asked me to help but I'm at a loss except for one idea.
It was recently reported in the newspapers that you could bypass all security by freezing an android phone for an hour, then quickly removing the battery and putting it back on and turning it on while it was still below -10 degrees celcius. Is this really possible?
Secondly, his phone is a Galaxy Mini with whatever is the newest firmware (I'm a galaxy Mini II user so I'm not too sure), stock kernel, stock ROM, non-rooted but bootloader i think by default it's unlocked in SG. (mine came unlocked). It's been in use for quite some time only.
If the freezing is not possible, could we do it by any other method? note: before i can get pass the damn password i can't turn adb, unknown sources or debugging on.
Yeah that's all. Also, we can't wipe the /data since that's what we're gunning for. The method must be accomplish-able within 2 hours.
I might sound like I'm asking for a lot and might be unreasonable but please help.
Thanks in advance.
P.S. Please don't talk about the "just break up" or "politely ask him". If that had worked I wouldn't be asking here. He refuses to break up and he refuses to give his phone to me, even to "play". so called ethical hacking through the human link doesn't work anymore. We plan to take his phone for a while, bypass the pattern lock, then sieve through information.
blazerphoenix said:
Recently my BFF thinks that her boyfriend is starting to lose feeling for her and start finding other girls. She wants to break up but her boyfriend won't let her go unless she provides evidence that he is losing feeling/cheating on her. She asked me to help but I'm at a loss except for one idea.
It was recently reported in the newspapers that you could bypass all security by freezing an android phone for an hour, then quickly removing the battery and putting it back on and turning it on while it was still below -10 degrees celcius. Is this really possible?
Secondly, his phone is a Galaxy Mini with whatever is the newest firmware (I'm a galaxy Mini II user so I'm not too sure), stock kernel, stock ROM, non-rooted but bootloader i think by default it's unlocked in SG. (mine came unlocked). It's been in use for quite some time only.
If the freezing is not possible, could we do it by any other method? note: before i can get pass the damn password i can't turn adb, unknown sources or debugging on.
Yeah that's all. Also, we can't wipe the /data since that's what we're gunning for. The method must be accomplish-able within 2 hours.
I might sound like I'm asking for a lot and might be unreasonable but please help.
Thanks in advance.
P.S. Please don't talk about the "just break up" or "politely ask him". If that had worked I wouldn't be asking here. He refuses to break up and he refuses to give his phone to me, even to "play". so called ethical hacking through the human link doesn't work anymore. We plan to take his phone for a while, bypass the pattern lock, then sieve through information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ADB isn't on, well i think somehow exploit might work. Search around XDA there are some tutorials here.
F4uzan said:
ADB isn't on, well i think somehow exploit might work. Search around XDA there are some tutorials here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Erm sorry i'm not sure what do you mean by exploits. I'm sorry I'm kinda new to all these stuff.
How do u know that the phone is not "Debugging On"
Most android users are turning on that feature.
Well if the Debugging is ON ... I got the way to unlock the pattern within 1 minute.
Fastest way to bypass: Wipe data. If you can't, there are only harder ways.
Factory reset
You can always do a factory reset to remove the lock but it will wipe /data. You can still do that tho. It's explained here : http://www.hard-reset.com/samsung-gt-s5570-galaxy-mini-hard-reset.html . Also the fastboot mode works with adb swell as download mode.
Generalil said:
You can always do a factory reset to remove the lock but it will wipe /data. You can still do that tho. It's explained here : http://www.hard-reset.com/samsung-gt-s5570-galaxy-mini-hard-reset.html . Also the fastboot mode works with adb swell as download mode.
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Click to collapse
Mini doesn't have fastboot. It only have Recovery, and Download Mode (don't tell me about normal boot).
My mistake ;P A habit from LG-GT540
ಠ_ಠ
can encrypting phone slow down performance
Im also want to know. And a custom kernel like cocore can work with encryption?
IDK but in my opinion it might slow down your phone a little bit... Now I'm no expert in all these but think of it in this way... If you encrypt your phone.. It will obviously take more time to index and encrypt any new data entered to its database...... Or when you are searching for a particular file it might take a while for your phone to find that file and load all its contents too... Also many apps depend on many files... If these apps requests your phone to gain access to these files - then obviously it will take some time to do that too.. As you know decryption always takes some amount of time... Anyways I told this from my Windows experience...
BTW you could also try and see it for yourself too and share the results with us
Sent from your Phone using the XDA Developer's app
DISCLAIMER*** I DO NOT OWN A NEXUS 5, AND DO NOT FOLLOW IT HEAVILY THIS IS PURELY BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE TODAY AND MY YEARS OF USING ANDROID OS. I DO NOT USE IT DAILY AND ONLY USE IT EVERY NOW AND THEN FOR CALLS. MY INFORMATION MAY NOT BE ACCURATE AND PURELY BASED ON PREVIOUS USES OF DIFFERENT DEVICES FROM DIFFERENT BRANDS.
THIS MAY BE DISREGARDED OR/AND DELETED
Today my sister nexus 5 (aosp 5.1 "newest") was "stolen".
We spent the day looking all over the place for it and went back to a few stores we visited that day and asked the staff. But it was of no hope. No one has seen or heard of it, so we regarded it as stolen. So after awhile we went home we went to ADM (https://www.google.co.uk/android/devicemanager) and set up a lock and number to call as you would.
After a few hours my dad found it in his car :/ so yeah...
But that's just the bread of it. HERE is the butter:
1)The lock we set up was 100% not in place even tho ADM said it was "sent". AND the mobile data is ON, but this is just how ADM works and it doesn't check if the device receives it or not. Maybe google should add this feature.
BUT even after we got it back and connect to WIFI, the lock did NOT get put in place. Proving the phone does not check for any lock requests at screen unlock. But maybe because she already has a normal pincode in place and it couldn't over ride that :/
after that I took a interest in the security.
2)So i took a deeper look into the security and it flaw, and first off. EVEN locked I could access the status bar and turn on AIRPLANE MODE. This was without the password and I could turn on torch, wifi, mobile data ext off as well. The only thing I couldn't access was the "settings". But I had a great deal of control of the device's connectivity and from there a thief could make his way out without any calls or ANYTHING affecting him.
3)THIS was truly shocking. I'm not sure if this is by default or by accident. But by using the status bar "exploit" i was able to get into the users page and switch to guest mode. From there i was able to grant adb access and access the market. If this phone was rooted I guess you could install some apps to get rid of the lock screen or even install a custom recovery. But them i guess it's up to you to take the action.
As i said before. I do not use it. My sister does. But she does not root or mod, and only follows the AOSP path.
Some exploits may only work because of a few careless button presses. And may not even affect anyone at all if you don't spam the settings with random presses.
Thanks for listening to me and feel free to point out any mistakes i made and share if you could post if these "exploits" work for you. If someone already made a thread please delete this one. Thanks for listening
Actually the only serious thing is the guest mode option.. About the airplane mode, for a thief it would be much easier to simply turn the phone off.. Anyway I completely agree with you.. Google should take more seriously the security part.. It should even be impossible to turn off the phone without a code..
And make the back impossible to open so a thief can't pop out the battery.
Once a phone is out of your physical control, consider everything on it to be compromised, regardless of whatever security you have.
Please delete this. None of this is news or exploits. People have known and been disappointed by it from day 1 of Lollipop going live.
Well removing the battery of the n5 is not immediate.. If a thief want to resell it probably he won't do that until he's at home or wherever and if he couldn't turn it off you could track the position or at least erase your data..
91franz said:
Well removing the battery of the n5 is not immediate.. If a thief want to resell it probably he won't do that until he's at home or wherever and if he couldn't turn it off you could track the position or at least erase your data..
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Click to collapse
You say Google should take security more seriously. Take that advice. Never assume a thief would act in a manner that accommodates you.
That's right.. Anyway I should try to make his life as complicated as possible ?
It should even be impossible to turn off the phone without a code..
sseuorosal said:
It should even be impossible to turn off the phone without a code..
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Click to collapse
with some aluminium fold will easily to block any signal, the phone will eventually turn off.
p.s. If I am the thief which stole a useless phone, I will just break it and throw away. I don't think any thief will say "hey, I can't unlock it, let's return to the owner"