Gah, protected bootloader?

**FlatTopFoley** · 07-09-2012, 06:31 AM

Going, going, Just about gone!

**PJnc284** · 07-09-2012, 07:13 AM

Originally Posted by VicVinegar

Funny. Verizon locks the discussion on the bootloader on their own forum.

Anything in reference to root or hacking is against the TOS there so kind of surprised the thread made it that long. They're usually snipers when someone even thinks about mentioning the r-word.

Side note, looks like Samsung just released the Source code. Search for "sch-i535"

**brb198#ac** · 07-09-2012, 08:52 AM

so things are looking very good now? Can someone provide an update for noobs? I was about to root last night but figured Id at least use my phone a few weeks so I wont be extra furious if it bricks haha

**FlatTopFoley** · 07-09-2012, 09:27 AM

Originally Posted by brb198

so things are looking very good now? Can someone provide an update for noobs? I was about to root last night but figured Id at least use my phone a few weeks so I wont be extra furious if it bricks haha

From reddit:

Kexec, allows an absolutely custom boot.img be executed. A boot.img contains a kernel and the ramdisk which contains the specifics on how to boot the kernel up (what processes to start, what storage to mount, etc). By samsung not signature checking the recovery partition, we can have a nice clean place to hardboot from without having to hijack init like with the droid x.

**npompei** · 07-09-2012, 09:50 AM

Originally Posted by brb198

so things are looking very good now? Can someone provide an update for noobs? I was about to root last night but figured Id at least use my phone a few weeks so I wont be extra furious if it bricks haha

Yeah I would wait a few weeks. Soon enough(christ it only too these guys like 48hrs to get around it!) They will have a more complete and one click style root/flash that use newbs can use. This is still very fluid and these guys are fighting the good fight!

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 2

**joebob2000** · 07-09-2012, 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by d1ez3

That's not how percentages work. It's 0.6%, you have to multiply by 100. As if saying 1/2 is 0.5%, it's 50%..

This. The CM penetration into the S2 is 0.64% according to the original premise. Of course this can be perturbed by a user ditching CM after they find out the backlight support sucks (sorry, hehe) or by a user who installed CM ten times because they just didn't like the feel of version xyz and had to have xyz+ and then xyz++ and then decided that they liked xyz+ after all.

Of course CM isnt the only rom out there, and plenty of people just root and don't rom. I would buy the figure that for every CM install there are 10 rooted and non-rommed users out there. That's still a pretty small number considering the bajillions of Android phones out there (VZ put about 3 million new Android phones in place in just the first three months of 2012.)

The big thing that VZ wants to do (getting back to the original premise) is to "protect" their network from rooters who go on to tether for free and short VZ the $20/mo, or break their phone and require a bunch of tech support, or brick their phone and require warranty replacement. Those categories can really cost a lot of money. They really only do what's in the best interest of profit, so you can be sure that they have some sort of inside scoop on how much they are losing and how much they suspect they can mitigate with a locked phone. They didn't just throw a bunch of developers at this for no good reason.

**brb198#ac** · 07-09-2012, 11:16 AM

You can now tether without root using FoxFi - with this on the table, what else could their concerns be?

**davidnc** · 07-09-2012, 11:21 AM

Glad to hear they have made progress and in a very short time

**Wontfinishlast** · 07-09-2012, 11:27 PM

Signed the petition and complained on Verizon's Facebook page. I wish I had the money to donate to those who are much more capable than I, but I dont atm. If there's anything else I can do to support this cause please let me know.

**KrazyRogue** · 07-10-2012, 09:53 PM

Yeah what can we do, the only GS3 with a locked bootloader. Yay?!

**nancy30** · 03-26-2013, 01:16 AM

what used to happen was people used to steal phones and root it to remove the security app from the phone but if the bootloader is protected hopefully your phone will not be rooted and prevent from acts of theft a must have feature in Android phones.

**paintdrinkingpete** · 03-27-2013, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by nancy30

what used to happen was people used to steal phones and root it to remove the security app from the phone but if the bootloader is protected hopefully your phone will not be rooted and prevent from acts of theft a must have feature in Android phones.

Do what now?!?

Funny, it never occurred to me that an unlocked bootloader could be a security risk, since anyone could wipe the data on it and thus clear any security settings or app I have on it...but then I realized that they could do the same even if the bootloader was locked just by flashing a stock image...

I actually don't mind if boot loaders come locked...they probably should -- but I do think the consumer should have the right to unlock it if he or she desires.

#ZombieThread #Braaaains!!!

**nancy30** · 04-10-2013, 01:20 AM

Hi paintdrinkingpete you mean to say that even if the bootloader is locked the phone is not safe and can be flashed.

**paintdrinkingpete** · 04-11-2013, 07:49 AM

Originally Posted by nancy30

Hi paintdrinkingpete you mean to say that even if the bootloader is locked the phone is not safe and can be flashed.

Sure -- unlocking the bootloader only gives you the ability to flash "unsigned" or custom images, but you can always flash signed factory images on even a locked bootloader.

Granted, that doesn't necessarily mean that a thief could view anything on your phone (that depends on whether you have security enabled, encryption, etc), but it does mean that theoretically, a thief could wipe your data and start from scratch.