I lose phones... habitually. Sometimes they find their way back to me and sometimes they don't, It is unsettling to me that even if I have a security app installed, or a GPS tracker that anyone with the ability to perform a google search can simply factory wipe my phone and make it their own.
So the question: Is it possible to include a password requirement to access the bootloader or recovery? I realize that if you forget your password there would likely be no way to save your phone in the event you need to, but I don't forget my passwords so this does not affect me.
Just wondering if this is even possible or worthwhile. Any input will be appreciated.
I opened a similar thread. It is possible to do however it seems people just don't care about the security risk.
Xda app
Surely this must be a concern to people. It certainly is for me.
+1
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
+1
i also wondering about this.
+1
We need it!
-1 this is pointless. someone could just go into download mode or fastboot and reflash the recovery.
What we're looking for is a password protected bootloader which will require password for booting into recovery or using download mode or fastboot.
mightyiam said:
What we're looking for is a password protected bootloader which will require password for booting into recovery or using download mode or fastboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck as it would need to boot before anything else and we can see the issues with this. There will never be a fool proof way to lock your phone if lost. It will be as simple as loading up the bootloader and flash a stock rom which will wipe the recovery.
No there is not alot of interest in this as to be honest if the info you have on your phone is that important then its simple. Don't loose your phone.
zelendel said:
Good luck as it would need to boot before anything else and we can see the issues with this. There will never be a fool proof way to lock your phone if lost. It will be as simple as loading up the bootloader and flash a stock rom which will wipe the recovery.
No there is not alot of interest in this as to be honest if the info you have on your phone is that important then its simple. Don't loose your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps you think I'm talking about an app. No, I'm talking about a modified bootloader.
I read somewhere that samsung galaxy s have that option..
+1
a bootloader with password setting is one of the few things i'm missing.
+1
We either need a password protected bootloader + CWM.
Or fulldisk encryption a la Whispercore.
I absolutely HATE the insecure concept of Android. Android is for kids and nerds. But not for serious people.
+1
if it is not being made, I'll look into it myself
+1
Would be awesome!
/edit: There's also this old thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=6182586
/edit2: And here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=19314088
Plus 1 I like 2 see this bootloader password
Sent from my SGH-T839 using XDA App
Yes please
+ 1
I'm glad I'm not the only one wondering about this. I'm sure it would have been done if it was possible by now. Nqmobile + gotta! App is almost good enough for me, but a password protected bootloader would be a sick addition
+I
It is one of the questions bothering me for last few months.
I like all those sec. apps - but Android Lost, Call Back, TouchMyLife nor Avast! Lost will not be able to save me if someone will boot straight into CWM and flash it with whatever just to get rid of the "FindIt" stuff.
cool
i too would like to see a passworded bootloader, or even a passworded version of CWM.
Think about it: how many regular joes on the street know how to flash a phone, or put it into download mode. Im a samsung guy, i know how to put it into download mode. My buddy is an iPhone guy, he wouldnt know the first place to start. An HTC guy might know how to deal with a few HTC devices, but in reality a handfull of people who MIGHT find your phone MIGHT know how to thwart that sort of 'security'.
From a lost phone aspect: Samsung dive is impressive. Found my phone location to within a few houses. with GPS and Wifi off. as long as the phone has battery life and is turned on, i can find it. Unless someone wipes it. which takes my password. Or boots into CWM and wipes it that way.... which currently does not need a password. or uts it into download mode and flashes a new firmware, which knowing my phone is just asking for issues. In reality, i want someone to boot my phone and have to have it on in the state that i lose it and NOT reset it. That yeilds the highest possibility of me finding it again.
So yes, i realize that any security we put on here could be thwarted somehow, but by who? how much time and effort are they going to put into it aside from trying a reset and it fails, trying to reboot into recovery, passworded protected, turn it off and sell it on the street, when the next guy turns it on with their sim card (texts my google account the new number) and now i can get his name and address
what are the chances the guy who finds my phone is going to have a computer handy and know exactly how to flash the phone? Not high.
Definately +1 for passworded protected CWM.
Huge chances. Anytime, everywhere.
You don't need to know anything, apart from taking battery off.
And placing back when you got tools ready. This simply means, lost phone will never again boot into normal android os. Never.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA
Related
I'm finally rooting my phone after months of messing about waiting for an unlock
My phone is international model i9300 and I've been reading this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1695238
Looks really good, well detailed should be very easy with the help of chainfire!
But I've still got a few questions
1) I think I can't back up my phone until it's rooted to get access to the system files, am I right in thinking when I'm rooted I can use CWM to make a full back up of the phone?
2) Once it's rooted what is a thing that you must not do? The phone was expensive and as these threads may be annoying to all of you I just need to know before I do anything silly so apologies for all the topics
3) I'm going to wait until JB is released for official ROMs, when it comes to flashing a new ROM do I need to unroot the device?
4) Can I remove bloatware with just the standard root? The amount is ridiculous, it fills up 2 whole pages of apps and 95% of them I haven't used and don't plan on using, ever. I'm sure if I ever needed to there will be an app for it
5) any other advice on keeping my phone safe would be great, I am just really really cautious with this kind of stuff lol. Technology is really fussy I don't want to brick my phone
Thanks to everybody who posts, you guys have helped me so much since I joined and I really appreciate it
UrbanDesigns said:
I'm finally rooting my phone after months of messing about waiting for an unlock
My phone is international model i9300 and I've been reading this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1695238
Looks really good, well detailed should be very easy with the help of chainfire!
But I've still got a few questions
1) I think I can't back up my phone until it's rooted to get access to the system files, am I right in thinking when I'm rooted I can use CWM to make a full back up of the phone?
2) Once it's rooted what is a thing that you must not do? The phone was expensive and as these threads may be annoying to all of you I just need to know before I do anything silly so apologies for all the topics
3) I'm going to wait until JB is released for official ROMs, when it comes to flashing a new ROM do I need to unroot the device?
4) any other advice on keeping my phone safe would be great, I am just really really cautious with this kind of stuff lol. Technology is really fussy I don't want to brick my phone
Thanks to everybody who posts, you guys have helped me so much since I joined and I really appreciate it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Answer 1: Check the link in my description (Win 8 -help) and download the adb executables. Then (Using Windows 7/8) Press and hold shift + Right mouse button in the folder and open cmd.
Once in cmd type:
Code:
adb start-server
adb devices (To check if your phone is connected properly)
adb backup -f %Userprofile%\Desktop\ADBackup\backup.ab -apk -nosystem -noshared -all
That will backup your user apps, incase you do do something wrong
Answer 2: Yes, there are a few things you shouldn't do;
Flash a ROM without making a backup
Deleting partitons in the phones' root.
Deleting system apps (APKs), when you don't know what they do, or even what they are.
Flashing a ROM/kernel, that wasn't made for your phone.
Overclocking/undervolting your phone too much.
And there are a couple more, but I don't want to waist your time ^^
Answer 3: JB is already released. No, you don't have to unroot your phone, before flashing. In fact, you probably can't, because you need the recovery program, to flash the ROM.
Answer 4: Don't flash bad stuff, don't install apps, that are reported (i.e. viruses) don't flash ROMs and kernels, that aren't for your device. And last but not least: Only use Odin, if you really have to!
Hope I could help!
UrbanDesigns said:
I'm finally rooting my phone after months of messing about waiting for an unlock
My phone is international model i9300 and I've been reading this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1695238
Looks really good, well detailed should be very easy with the help of chainfire!
But I've still got a few questions
1) I think I can't back up my phone until it's rooted to get access to the system files, am I right in thinking when I'm rooted I can use CWM to make a full back up of the phone?
2) Once it's rooted what is a thing that you must not do? The phone was expensive and as these threads may be annoying to all of you I just need to know before I do anything silly so apologies for all the topics
3) I'm going to wait until JB is released for official ROMs, when it comes to flashing a new ROM do I need to unroot the device?
4) any other advice on keeping my phone safe would be great, I am just really really cautious with this kind of stuff lol. Technology is really fussy I don't want to brick my phone
Thanks to everybody who posts, you guys have helped me so much since I joined and I really appreciate it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) You are right
2) Do not unroot
3) Official JB is already available. Flashing using odin doesn't required unroot. Update via OTA or kies required unroot.
4) Read, read and read is the best way to prevent bricking your device.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Thank you guys!
I did not know JB was released, I saw it come out for Poland but I received no notification on my S3.
Now I'm not quite sure in which order I should do things, shall I update to JB and then root?
Can anyone link me to a guide to update for the official JB, al my search results come up with old results with leaked firmware
so I use odin for the first flash and then use CWM from there on out
UrbanDesigns said:
Thank you guys!
I did not know JB was released, I saw it come out for Poland but I received no notification on my S3.
Its only the Poland release so far .
All the rest are the old leaks .
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UrbanDesigns said:
Thank you guys!
I did not know JB was released, I saw it come out for Poland but I received no notification on my S3.
Now I'm not quite sure in which order I should do things, shall I update to JB and then root?
Can anyone link me to a guide to update for the official JB, al my search results come up with old results with leaked firmware
so I use odin for the first flash and then use CWM from there on out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want a Jellybean rom with bloat removed, then download Checkrom http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1738527 . It's a stock samsung rom, bloat taken out, rooted, and is ready for if you wanted themeing etc..
In his kitchen app (that comes with the rom) you can find a package with ALL the removed bloat for you to download and install (ota) but he's also separated them so you can download just the ones you want. Also in the kitchen you will find tweaks for changing the notification drawer toggles, changing the theme, different modems, kernels etc... And check in the kitchen now and again for any updates to the rom (as and when samsung release them)
It's all there and very noob friendly. It's the smoothest most stable stock rom I've tried.
So root your phone using odin (easiest method by far), pay for titanium backup and back up your apps, boot into recovery and make a nandroid, move them onto you exSd or computer, wipe your phone, install checkrom, download titanium again and restore your apps from it.
That's a good start for you, EVERYTHING you need to know has been asked and answered before, so just google or search XDA, it's all still relevant, and you won't go wrong.
I'm going to root it now, seems pretty straight-forward but I'll let you know!
Now I will be shortly rooted what's the best anti-theft to use?
edit: wow... that was possible the easiest thing I have ever done lol, i was expecting it to be hard but it's literally selecting a file and pressing start. it's so much easier then jailbreaking (easy as hell but this tops it for sure)
Just done a CWM back up I didnt expect it to take so long haha
In my opinion, Cerberus is the best anti-theft app out there. You can use for a week as a free trial, I'll bet you're gonna buy it after 15 minutes.
Note that no anti-theft protection will prevent a thief from actually using your phone. Within like 2 minutes of Googling, the thief knows that he can use Download mode to overwrite the firmware (including the "anti theft" app) and 5 minutes later he has done it.
I use one such app (Watchdroid) to find my phone when I have misplaced it and for family members to be able to locate my position through an sms in case of personal distress.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
d4fseeker said:
Note that no anti-theft protection will prevent a thief from actually using your phone. Within like 2 minutes of Googling, the thief knows that he can use Download mode to overwrite the firmware (including the "anti theft" app) and 5 minutes later he has done it.
I use one such app (Watchdroid) to find my phone when I have misplaced it and for family members to be able to locate my position through an sms in case of personal distress.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess it just depends on who finds it, there should be a password for download mode that can't be overwritten
I'm going to have it on either way, it can't hurt
d4fseeker said:
Note that no anti-theft protection will prevent a thief from actually using your phone. Within like 2 minutes of Googling, the thief knows that he can use Download mode to overwrite the firmware (including the "anti theft" app) and 5 minutes later he has done it.
I use one such app (Watchdroid) to find my phone when I have misplaced it and for family members to be able to locate my position through an sms in case of personal distress.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only a thief, who knows what he's doing will use Google. Idiots are more likely to throw the phone away, or give it back..
And Avast! Anti Virus has a lockdown feature, which forces GPS, WiFi/Data and number forwarding (Root), so my phone is pretty safe
I've just installed avast - cheers!
What happens if the SIM is replaced?
and how do I track the phone if it gets lost/stolen?
also in my notification bar it says "avast mobile security is protecting you" i renamed the app for obvious reasons like it suggested. it's pretty stupid if the app renames its self if only reported lost/stolen
UrbanDesigns said:
I've just installed avast - cheers!
What happens if the SIM is replaced?
and how do I track the phone if it gets lost/stolen?
also in my notification bar it says "avast mobile security is protecting you" i renamed the app for obvious reasons like it suggested. it's pretty stupid if the app renames its self if only reported lost/stolen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check the anti-theft settings in the app. It lets you set up trusted numbers, so you can control your phone remotely, and you can set things up, like force GPS and Data on, that way the phone can tell you it's position..
familyguy59 said:
Check the anti-theft settings in the app. It lets you set up trusted numbers, so you can control your phone remotely, and you can set things up, like force GPS and Data on, that way the phone can tell you it's position..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've done all that, I've enabled anti-theft stealth mode where it states it will remain hidden after my next reboot.
I rebooted the phone but to no avail. It keeps showing in the notification bar and anti-theft seems useless, I've set up a pin but anybody who saw my phone would see the app straight away and would just use google on "how to remove avast samsung galaxy s3"
i don't think a thief could do it themselves but any idiot can search keywords into google to find a solid result
UrbanDesigns said:
I've done all that, I've enabled anti-theft stealth mode where it states it will remain hidden after my next reboot.
I rebooted the phone but to no avail. It keeps showing in the notification bar and anti-theft seems useless, I've set up a pin but anybody who saw my phone would see the app straight away and would just use google on "how to remove avast samsung galaxy s3"
i don't think a thief could do it themselves but any idiot can search keywords into google to find a solid result
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but not everyone knows what the avast! symbol look like, do they? I doubt you're going to find an XDA-Member would have stolen your phone, it will probably be an Asi, or someone really retarded.
And anyways, they'll get frightened enough, when the phone rights junk to the SD, locks itself up and sounds the siren, with a personal "greeting"..
Give it a go, if your phone gets stolen, there's always the police, they'll (hopefully) help you But that's worst-case-scenario..
familyguy59 said:
Yes, but not everyone knows what the avast! symbol look like, do they? I doubt you're going to find an XDA-Member would have stolen your phone, it will probably be an Asi, or someone really retarded.
And anyways, they'll get frightened enough, when the phone rights junk to the SD, locks itself up and sounds the siren, with a personal "greeting"..
Give it a go, if your phone gets stolen, there's always the police, they'll (hopefully) help you But that's worst-case-scenario..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No but I'd still like it hidden
Anyone with google and the least bit of experience or interest will just reflash the stock Samsungrom anyway, rendering all and any (including Samsung's own) anti-theft utterly useless.
(In many cases thiefs steal to buy drugs, the dealer will certainly know someone to "freshen" up the phone.
It's very useful for finding the phone though if you have misplaced it =)
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
UrbanDesigns said:
No but I'd still like it hidden
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could remove the icon by going into avast > Settings > Notification Icon > None
Hope this helps
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
d4fseeker said:
Anyone with google and the least bit of experience or interest will just reflash the stock Samsungrom anyway, rendering all and any (including Samsung's own) anti-theft utterly useless.
(In many cases thiefs steal to buy drugs, the dealer will certainly know someone to "freshen" up the phone.
It's very useful for finding the phone though if you have misplaced it =)
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you're saying if I left my phone on the bus or something and somebody picked it up and decided to be a thief they automatically are casual drug users who know dodgy people, all because they found my phone?
I don't see how it could be useful for finding a "misplaced" phone, what would you class as misplaced? If I left the phone under my bed or something and "misplaced" it surely avast! isn't going to show a picture of inside my house?
So I finally HAVE to replace my Note 2 via warranty. Power button sticks and will not boot.
At the end of the call to place the warranty order she says "any physical damage, water damage, or software alterations will result in a charge of $290". So I'm rooted and ROM'd and would normally just return to stock. BUT since the phone will not boot, I cannot do this. I realize if it won't boot for me it likely won't boot for Verizon.
My worry is that somehow they will in get it to boot. Do they still check for root? If so is this something I should be worried about? I cannot for the life of me get this thing to turn on it seems like I will not be able to return this to stock with out powering the phone on. Any insight is greatly appreciated.
I have done the warranty replacement game for a long time. Typical the people checking the phone are stupid and dump for checking for root. I havent spoken to or talked to one smart person that would check. Plus the people they hired to make sure the devices comes in probably isn't tech savvy. Just a worker trying to get paid.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 4
I agree with the above. I guarantee you the people who do the initial evaluation have a 'target' for the number of phones processed. But just the same return your phone to as stock looking as possible. Restore the launcher, use a stock wallpaper and/or boot-ani. Uninstall all apps you got from the store. And run your battery all the way down. It will continue to discharge even though it's off. This means it will need to charge for a few minutes before it will boot again.
And I've never noticed many posts (i can't recall even one) about phones being kicked back for being rooted/flashed.
But with that said isn't there some kind of flash 'counter' on the Note 2?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
When I had my DROID X I went into a Verizon store to upgrade to an s3 and the guy who just got done telling me how he "mods" his gnex looked at my X and it was running cm7 themed out the wazoo and he said how plain the stock os is on the Motorola. Haha. So I don't think that 98% of the people who are either in store or at the warranty place have a clue what rooted is let alone able to tell if it is or not.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I think I read somewhere that you can make a powered usb jig the will boot it into download mode. I might be wrong, but you can search around for it.
Sent From My Sticky Note, Too?
Did you even read the op
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app
Yea I can't even get the phone to boot. Which I believe is due to the malfunctioning power button. But I'm still concerned verizon will find some way to get it booted. I'm going to see if I can boot via ADB this evening. Its been quite a while since messing around with ADB so I need to allow myself some time. Hopefully I can boot it and just Odin the factory image via ADB.
I should also try and clear the flash counter right? Does anyone have any tips or know-how on how to do that? I saw somewhere that there is an app. But should that be run before or after running the Odin stock image?
Thanks again guys and gals.
Hey gerg, the app is triangle away, and I would always try to return to stock if possible. I would use it before returning to stock as it needs root privileges. What a great learning experience (better to look at it that way then get angry trying to accomplish your goal). Keep us posted as we are all"rooting" for you....:thumbup:
"One small step for man, One giant leap for mankind" said anyone who has tried Moon Rom
JeramyEggs said:
Hey gerg, the app is triangle away, and I would always try to return to stock if possible. I would use it before returning to stock as it needs root privileges. What a great learning experience (better to look at it that way then get angry trying to accomplish your goal). Keep us posted as we are all"rooting" for you....:thumbup:
"One small step for man, One giant leap for mankind" said anyone who has tried Moon Rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man. Appreciate the positive vibes.
However it seems like I'm stuck. I can't for the life of me get this phone to boot, therefore I can restore the stock image via ADB, because ADB will not recognize the device since it is off. I've tried every trick out there, including the youtube video about pulling the charger and pulling/re-seating the battery as fast as possible. No dice.
I did however receive my warranty device today, and since I have ADB all set up and ready to go, I'll be rooting her and getting back to Trans-Neb ASAP, and of course I'll see you back in that thread.
Again, thanks for the help guys it is appreciated. I'm fairly sure I've tried harder and spent more time to get this phone to boot than Verizon will ( I hope at least). So if they can't get it to turn on, I don't see how they can tell its rooted
Mods can close this thread
Cheers!
I work for a company doing tech support and one of the problems we've ran into is that our employees are sending their old GS3 devices back to us after we upgrade them and we cannot get into them. When we get the phones back they are locked, encrypted, and off. Our policy is that we never ask employees for passwords so that if our employees get someone asking for a password, their natural response is to take a step back and refuse to share passwords.
So now we have probably 10+ USCellular GS3 devices that are locked and encrypted. Does anyone know a way to wipe these to factory settings w/o knowing the password?
Thanks!
12059350 said:
I work for a company doing tech support and one of the problems we've ran into is that our employees are sending their old GS3 devices back to us after we upgrade them and we cannot get into them. When we get the phones back they are locked, encrypted, and off. Our policy is that we never ask employees for passwords so that if our employees get someone asking for a password, their natural response is to take a step back and refuse to share passwords.
So now we have probably 10+ USCellular GS3 devices that are locked and encrypted. Does anyone know a way to wipe these to factory settings w/o knowing the password?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even if somebody knows how to I don't thing anybody in there right mind would post a solution here! (1) XDA would not allow it (2) It is illegal (3) Anybody who lets say uses a stolen phone would know exactly where to look to reset the phone!
Why didn't you just suggest for your "employees" to just factory reset their phones and unlock before sending them to you?..
WRONG
tallman43 said:
Even if somebody knows how to I don't thing anybody in there right mind would post a solution here! (1) XDA would not allow it (2) It is illegal (3) Anybody who lets say uses a stolen phone would know exactly where to look to reset the phone!
Why didn't you just suggest for your "employees" to just factory reset their phones and unlock before sending them to you?..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok (1)If anyone DIDN'T think this post was anything sinister, they sure as hell do now. Thanks man. (2) It makes no difference whether it is encrypted or not, i don't want the data off of it and that is the soul reason to encrypt a phone, to keep the data inside protected. (3) WE RIGHTFULLY OWN ALL OF THESE DEVICES but just cannot unlock them (4)Even if they were stolen, their MEID would be blacklisted and they would just be a glorified mp3 player that cannot be hooked up to a network.
This is not illegal, not even a little bit. Prove me wrong with data to support it buddy.....
12059350 said:
Ok (1)If anyone DIDN'T think this post was anything sinister, they sure as hell do now. Thanks man. (2) It makes no difference whether it is encrypted or not, i don't want the data off of it and that is the soul reason to encrypt a phone, to keep the data inside protected. (3) WE RIGHTFULLY OWN ALL OF THESE DEVICES but just cannot unlock them (4)Even if they were stolen, their MEID would be blacklisted and they would just be a glorified mp3 player that cannot be hooked up to a network.
This is not illegal, not even a little bit. Prove me wrong with data to support it buddy.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny how u work for a company tat does tech but dun know tat it is IMEI instead of MEID.
(1)He was saying tat xda does not allow anyone to make use of the info to do illegal things. So if anyone got a stolen phone, they can use the info here and xda will be partially responsible.
(2)no idea wat u are saying
(3)Wat I said in '(1)'
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
80% Right
12059350 said:
Ok (1)If anyone DIDN'T think this post was anything sinister, they sure as hell do now. Thanks man. (2) It makes no difference whether it is encrypted or not, i don't want the data off of it and that is the soul reason to encrypt a phone, to keep the data inside protected. (3) WE RIGHTFULLY OWN ALL OF THESE DEVICES but just cannot unlock them (4)Even if they were stolen, their MEID would be blacklisted and they would just be a glorified mp3 player that cannot be hooked up to a network.
This is not illegal, not even a little bit. Prove me wrong with data to support it buddy.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To say my post was WRONG is inaccurate (partially wrong maybe)
My original answers:
(1) XDA would not allow it (RIGHT THEY WOULD NOT!:good
(2) Illegal (Maybe not..my mistake )
(3) Anybody who lets say uses a stolen phone would know exactly where to look to reset the phone! (OBVIOUSLY RIGHT!:good
Your answers:
(1) People may think it was sinister because of the nature of the question wiping a locked phone! (not that I think you personally have anything to hide)
(2) I know what encrypting a phone is
(3) I NEVER SAID YOU DID NOT OWN THE DEVICES!
(4) I never said anything about the imei ..(and they would make good mp3 players )
My point was to say you would not get any answer on here on how to wipe the phones!
But you still did not answer my question why did you not just ask the employees to just unlock and factory reset before returning to you (would have saved you alot of trouble)
I was not saying the your phones where stolen but posting any information on here about wiping locked phones would not be allowed and would be a haven for people who are not entirely honest..
Thanks
JellyYogurt said:
Funny how u work for a company tat does tech but dun know tat it is IMEI instead of MEID.
(1)He was saying tat xda does not allow anyone to make use of the info to do illegal things. So if anyone got a stolen phone, they can use the info here and xda will be partially responsible.
(2)no idea wat u are saying
(3)Wat I said in '(1)'
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok ass hat, 1st, the IMEI contains the MEID (at least on my devices it does) so ease up and 2nd, forgive me if i use the wrong acronym, it's not like IT Professionals have that many to remember.... (sarcasm since we are spelling it out) and 3rd, you spelled "that" wrong so i don't feel bad for making a small mistake.
12059350 said:
Ok ass hat, 1st, the IMEI contains the MEID (at least on my devices it does) so ease up and 2nd, forgive me if i use the wrong acronym, it's not like IT Professionals have that many to remember.... (sarcasm since we are spelling it out) and 3rd, you spelled "that" wrong so i don't feel bad for making a small mistake.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh well u are just angry tat my form of typing is too fab.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
similar situation..
hi all.. ive posted this in another forum but havent seen a reply yet. i thought i'd try my luck in this thread as it's kinda relevant to my situation. obviously im not fluent in cellphone tech but at the recommendation of a member here i went to root my gs3 (gt-i9300) using kingo. i should have stuck to the old adage, "if it seems to good to be true, then it probably is.." but thought safe in the recommendation of others... the idea of rooting my phone in a single click process seemed wonderful. so, i now have a hardbricked phone.
after whipping up a usb jig following various youtube guides i was able to get it back to download mode. so, my primary question is, "because my phone was encrypted before becoming a brick, am i able to restore it using odin?" or will it keep taking me back to the encryption password screen with no hope to restore the phone?
ok, what the problem is, is this: i've tried to re-flash firmware from sammobile relevant to my country and model with odin(v3.07), it completes successfully, reboots, then takes me back to the encrypt screen. the prob is, when i enter the password the phone just turns off and i have to take the battery out to get back to download mode through the usb jig. also, after trying to flash with an earlier firmware, it just keeps saying "try again" without turning off, still no joy but atleast with that firmware it didn't turn off.
any help or guidance would be very welcome, as i'm willing to keep working if i can restore my phone, if it's beyond hope then i will just dump it.
Okay, so it's a bit of a long story but there's a woman I work with who had her virtually-new Samsung Galaxy S3 stolen by her recently-split husband last year. We all knew it was him, but we had virtually no evidence, other than it's disappearance. Anyway, so this woman recently was in his now-separated husband's flat & was rooting around. She found a Samsung Galaxy S3, smartly took a picture of the IMEI & left it. She knew it was hers, but wanted to be 100% sure. She went home, checked the box, & of course they did match. The next day, she went back to his house & manipulated the situation so that she could find enough time on her own to go take the phone back without him knowing. So she brings it into work with her the next day. The problem is, the phone now has a password lock on it. She then spent the night trying to guess the password, but to no success.
So, me being the tech guy that I am, she asked me to try to get into it. I said, the easiest way would be for me to wipe it & factory reset it, but that she would lose all of her information. She doesn't want me to do that. She wants to get pictures & stuff of her / their kids off the phone, as well as look into who her ex-husband had been talking to / see who knew about him stealing the phone. So, I said it should be possible. However, I'm not a hugely great phone guy. I'm good with computers, but not so much phones.
So, we spent the day trying various exploits found on Google or YouTube but to no success. There was one method where we had a little success where we turned the phone on > Emergency Call > Emergency Contact > Press Home > Press Power > Unlocked home screen in then meant to appear. It never did. Although we could get it to quickly flash whatever was on the home screen (which was a picture of her / their kids, which she'd set to the phone before it was taken).
So without any of those methods working, I'm tasked with now getting into the phone at home. I have no idea whether USB debugging is enabled, I would assume not. We are unable to reset the password via Google Recovery or anything because we're never offered the option. As I say, she doesn't want me to wipe the phone. But there has to be a way to get into it otherwise, either through brute force, or one of those other password cracking methods possibly?
There was a technique I found on Google at work, something about connecting the phone to your computer via USB then trying to do some stuff from command line or through a Linux distro, which I need to re-find & try.
But alas, does anyone here have any methods or know any ways that I could get around this password lock?
I have to say though, I'm glad it's not that simple (atleast it appears so, anyway) to get around one of these passwords. Makes me feel a little safer for my own Galaxy S3! haha
Hey
You said u tried the Google account method right?
If that's not working try to flash philz recovery and from that you can access the contents of the internal SD card..
U can also TRY to use the custom back up option offered by his recovery and then custom restore the data..
I can't assure you that it will work but you can try it..
Best of Luck
-tchindalia
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
We did not try a Google account method, I don't think? Think we tried to log in to the ex-husband's Google account on my iPad for some reason (can't remember why now tbh) but we could not guess his password. He's apparently changed it since they split.
Won't flashing the phone wipe everything that's on it?
Hey
Not if your just flashing a recovery..
Just youtube for some videos on this...
I had see one some time back..
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Benaholic said:
Okay, so it's a bit of a long story but there's a woman I work with who had her virtually-new Samsung Galaxy S3 stolen by her recently-split husband last year. We all knew it was him, but we had virtually no evidence, other than it's disappearance. Anyway, so this woman recently was in his now-separated husband's flat & was rooting around. She found a Samsung Galaxy S3, smartly took a picture of the IMEI & left it. She knew it was hers, but wanted to be 100% sure. She went home, checked the box, & of course they did match. The next day, she went back to his house & manipulated the situation so that she could find enough time on her own to go take the phone back without him knowing. So she brings it into work with her the next day. The problem is, the phone now has a password lock on it. She then spent the night trying to guess the password, but to no success.
So, me being the tech guy that I am, she asked me to try to get into it. I said, the easiest way would be for me to wipe it & factory reset it, but that she would lose all of her information. She doesn't want me to do that. She wants to get pictures & stuff of her / their kids off the phone, as well as look into who her ex-husband had been talking to / see who knew about him stealing the phone. So, I said it should be possible. However, I'm not a hugely great phone guy. I'm good with computers, but not so much phones.
So, we spent the day trying various exploits found on Google or YouTube but to no success. There was one method where we had a little success where we turned the phone on > Emergency Call > Emergency Contact > Press Home > Press Power > Unlocked home screen in then meant to appear. It never did. Although we could get it to quickly flash whatever was on the home screen (which was a picture of her / their kids, which she'd set to the phone before it was taken).
So without any of those methods working, I'm tasked with now getting into the phone at home. I have no idea whether USB debugging is enabled, I would assume not. We are unable to reset the password via Google Recovery or anything because we're never offered the option. As I say, she doesn't want me to wipe the phone. But there has to be a way to get into it otherwise, either through brute force, or one of those other password cracking methods possibly?
There was a technique I found on Google at work, something about connecting the phone to your computer via USB then trying to do some stuff from command line or through a Linux distro, which I need to re-find & try.
But alas, does anyone here have any methods or know any ways that I could get around this password lock?
I have to say though, I'm glad it's not that simple (atleast it appears so, anyway) to get around one of these passwords. Makes me feel a little safer for my own Galaxy S3! haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If he lets her into the house so easily then:
1- HE didn't steal the phone because he felt no need to hide it
2- The "woman" is invading the guy's privacy and checking personal info without consent
3- Seeing who he talked to is a typical behaviour pattern of someone who is invading someone's privacy for ill intentions
4- the "woman" can always request for the guy to share the kid's photos and other stuff. No need to snoop around
To the OP:
If you do help this person break into the phone and turns out it wasn't hers, then you are aiding in a possibly criminal activity.
If he did steal, then all the best to you. Otherwise; Beware of the LAW.
~ RazorMC
RazorMC said:
If he lets her into the house so easily then:
1- HE didn't steal the phone because he felt no need to hide it
2- The "woman" is invading the guy's privacy and checking personal info without consent
3- Seeing who he talked to is a typical behaviour pattern of someone who is invading someone's privacy for ill intentions
4- the "woman" can always request for the guy to share the kid's photos and other stuff. No need to snoop around
To the OP:
If you do help this person break into the phone and turns out it wasn't hers, then you are aiding in a possibly criminal activity.
If he did steal, then all the best to you. Otherwise; Beware of the LAW.
~ RazorMC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OP alr said the imei matched so the phone is the woman's. Unless tat was a lie.
To the OP, have u tried samsung's "find my mobile"?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
JellyYogurt said:
OP alr said the imei matched so the phone is the woman's. Unless tat was a lie.
To the OP, have u tried samsung's "find my mobile"?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like I said, if it was indeed stolen, then I wish the OP luck.
I'm just curious why the person never approached the police with proof of ownership instead of trying to bypass the security.
Cheers :good:
~ RazorMC
RazorMC said:
Like I said, if it was indeed stolen, then I wish the OP luck.
I'm just curious why the person never approached the police with proof of ownership instead of trying to bypass the security.
Cheers :good:
~ RazorMC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't remember the reason she believed the phone was stolen, to be honest. The reason she had access to his house, was because they have kids together. She had gone to go drop the kids off, or pick them up. For some bizarre reason, I don't know why, he left her in the house alone after he went to take them to school (telling her to lock the door when she leaves). She took that opportunity to look around the house for the phone, as he'd never previously admitted to taking it but she was sure he did.
She found the phone, took a picture of the IMEI, went home to match to the IMEI on her box & it saw that they were the same. She's shown me the picture as well. confirming that it was indeed her phone, she then went back to her ex's flat the next day (because he was going to come along to their daughter's birthday). Just as they were about to leave, she says she needs the toilet. So, she runs back upstairs & grabs the phone without him knowing.
I think the reason why she never went to the police about it is because he was trying to get citizenship to remain here in the country, & she didn't want something like this to jeopardize whether she's in a relationship with him or not; they do still have kids together. Sending him back to Kenya over a phone wouldn't do anyone any good.
JellyYogurt said:
OP alr said the imei matched so the phone is the woman's. Unless tat was a lie.
To the OP, have u tried samsung's "find my mobile"?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which "Find my mobile" thing are you on about?
---------------------------------------
I appear to have found a way to bypass the lock screen via the ADB, but I think it only works for a lock pattern. Anyone know or have any ideas what to do for a password?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2237382
For hours now I've been trying alsorts of stuff, from doing things via terminal, trying to do things through recovery, & alsorts to no success. However, I did find one solution that worked:
http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/f77...-pin-reset-no-root-no-usb-debug-free-1722271/
Was posted here on XDA Developers as well, but the thread was closed. Many virus programs do immediately notify that the program contains viruses / trojans, but not sure if they're false positives? Anyway, disabled AVG & it worked like a charm! So, if anyone else needs similar help, maybe try this?
Alas, suppose this thread can be closed now.
^^ That malware had stopped working and that is why it was closed on other site as well.
~ RazorMC
Aight so I have this Samsung Galaxy J7 Max that I've been trying to unlock for more than 2 years now. I of course, don't want to lose the super important data it holds. It got locked out randomly and hasn't been able to take up the pattern I had put on it till date. I'm absolutely sure no one changed its lock screen pattern and its the phone that is unable to recognize the exact same password it had before this happening. I got hold of it today and yet again, started looking for solutions on YouTube and the internet itself. After all of my research, one thing is clear. There is only one way that the pattern lock can be removed in such a condition; by deleting this system folder called gesture.key that lies within the phone itself. I am by no means a nerdy software dev or something but I do have very little knowledge about these workarounds. I used an ADB via a cmd terminal to contact my phone. But it turns out that due to my usb debugging setting not being turned on in my phone, the adb didn't have the required authorization to make any changes to the target. I then got my phone into stock recovery mode and chose the Install through ADB option there. Now when I input the command adb devices, the prompt showed me my device ID, but instead of the "unauthorized" indicator beside it, it now had the indicator "sideload". I had no idea of what had to be done when such happens, so I tried the adb shell > cd data/system > su > rm *.key [taken from an XDA forums thread] commands again. But right on the second step it displayed error this time. I have tried using a key eraser via sd card too, but it just doesn't happen, the sd card folder in the stock mode does not display the contents of the folder.
Now the phone isn't being an obstacle in my life right now, but I really hope there's a way to fix it. Early help would be appreciated. Thank You.
If the data is super important why isn't it redundantly backed up?
Having a set lock screen and storing data on the OS is a sure fire way to lose data, eventually.
Maybe you'll get lucky... is that drive encrypted?
If not it may still be corrupted and unusable.
Don't put yourself in this position again... been there, done that
@blackhawk As I said, this was an absolutely random incident, had never even thought this could've been the case someday. Its not like the phone crashed and then this happened, I turned off my phone's display and the next time I woke it up, the pattern wasn't working anymore. Furthermore, the timed attempts that happen after 5 incorrect tries wasn't existing anymore. Now it could be that someone did get the timed attempts wrong as well [it isn't my own phone]. But I really don't see any other reason to that occurrence.
About the backups, I mean cmon, I was 15 back then, a medico student even more so. I never got my hands around backing up anything. But yes, have been backing up every single bit of data within these two years.
The storage drive shouldn't be encrypted. It was a regular phone bought online that had pdfs, images, recordings and videos stored. The google account was not that of the owner either! It was my uncle's account that was being used ever since he bought it. And since there was never a problem having used his account for quite a while, we never cared to change it to a new google account. Now my uncle's google account itself handles another device, his own phone, exact same model, Galaxy J7 Max. I have tried using his account at the Google Find My Device app to locate and unlock the phone that way [I hope you know it has the three options Ring, Secure and Erase Data]. But it happens so that the Secure phone with password option only for devices that have been lost and don't have a security lock already setup, which wasn't, unfortunately, my case. So that option was greyed out.
For the data corruption, you might be correct. But that phone still does receive SMS texts, calls, whatsapp texts and other notifications. They just don't show up on the lock screen anymore. I honestly had the "Screw the data, I'll erase it anyway" thought yesterday, but during my latest tries, I found the XDA forums website to be quite helpful. Had not it been the damn USB debugging, the solution I approached from this forum would've got the job done in a couple minutes. Again, if the data might've gone corrupted, I will erase the data [I mean I would have to]. But this little glimmer of hope that I experienced yesterday is what is preventing me from doing that. I really hope there is a fix to my situation.
@Chinmay47
a phone can get booted into these modes
Normal ( AKA Android OS )
Recovery
Fastboot
Sideload
EDL
Sideload mode is used to flash OTAs and/or ROMs.
Recovery mode allows you to perform some ADB actions as e.g. pull userdata, but this reqires ADB ( read: USB debug ) got enabled.
So my guess is you can't recover phone's userdata at your own, this would have to be done by an external service who can pull out phone's internal SD-card and has the forensic tools to read it.
@jwoegerbauer Surprisingly the idea of taking the phone to a forensic service struck me yesternight too. As you mentioned, since I can't recover the phone's data myself, all tips and tweaks on the web should now be struck off of my list of solutions. I'll leave the data to some forensic services then. Let's hope the recovery is worth the hassle. The thread is still open to more suggestions though. Thanks for the replies everyone. Really appreciate it!
Chinmay47 said:
@jwoegerbauer Surprisingly the idea of taking the phone to a forensic service struck me yesternight too. As you mentioned, since I can't recover the phone's data myself, all tips and tweaks on the web should now be struck off of my list of solutions. I'll leave the data to some forensic services then. Let's hope the recovery is worth the hassle. The thread is still open to more suggestions though. Thanks for the replies everyone. Really appreciate it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It not a card they can pull. More than likely it's on a BGA chipset, the hardest kind there is to work with.
If they can't access the data on/with the mobo they will have to unsolder the chipset without damaging it then put it into a test jig or another mobo (after pulling that mobo's matching chipset).
If they can access the data on the mobo, not so bad. Otherwise not so good.
Let us know how this plays out for you.
Here's one I found showing you this complex procedure: https://flashfixers.com/recover-data-dead-phone-chip-off-data-recovery/
They may be able to help you, but I have no personal knowledge of this company.
blackhawk said:
If they can't access the data on/with the mobo they will have to unsolder the chipset without damaging it then put it into a test jig or another mobo (after pulling that mobo's matching chipset).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually thought of this idea right after a couple days from the beginning of the problem. Yes its gonna take loads of precision and patience but it does sound doable. Maybe that's what is gonna be the last option for the forensic service too in case, god forbid, they aren't able to do it the "simple" way. Can't say yet, but I'm gonna keep this thread updated with all the developments that take place.
Chinmay47 said:
Actually thought of this idea right after a couple days from the beginning of the problem. Yes its gonna take loads of precision and patience but it does sound doable. Maybe that's what is gonna be the last option for the forensic service too in case, god forbid, they aren't able to do it the "simple" way. Can't say yet, but I'm gonna keep this thread updated with all the developments that take place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If they need to remove the chipset the chances of failure increase. Flash memory retension is generally good for 10+ years but it may be damaged in the removal process if so, snake eyes.
Get price quotes up front for the whole process.
Once they got the phone, they got you by the balls. Not saying they aren't trustworthy but feel them out. If it's a couple hundred and you get the data back, you did good.
No idea of the cost though, my guess is $400-1000+ especially if they need to pull the chipset.
That's high risk even if they do it by the book.
If their policy is no data, no charge... expect higher rates to cover their loses.
@blackhawk All of that sounds kinda terrifying if you ask me. Well I mean, there is always a first option that can be tried without any mentions of pull-aparts. Yet I will surely judge the person well before I hand my device in his hands. I would try my level best to not take it to the critical stage, but if it needs be and there is a really high chance of losing my data, I can factory reset my data at home by myself too can't I? Future shall tell I suppose.
If you factory reset it all data will be lost.
It will not be recoverable!
If you want the data you will need to use a service like I showed you. They will need physical access to the phone to recovery the data.
The phone may be scrape afterwards
@blackhawk Sure does look like it would be! But paying to get your phone reset for you is way to harsher than doing it yourself. It is only in case the data is nearly impossible to recover that I'll reset the phone myself.
Chinmay47 said:
@blackhawk Sure does look like it would be! But paying to get your phone reset for you is way to harsher than doing it yourself. It is only in case the data is nearly impossible to recover that I'll reset the phone myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reset? Most likely destroyed.
Do you really want the data?
blackhawk said:
Reset? Most likely destroyed.
Do you really want the data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually do though. But well, if it ain't coming back then why wish for it. Yeah the data was really important.
Chinmay47 said:
I actually do though. But well, if it ain't coming back then why wish for it. Yeah the data was really important.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Call them up and see what they say.
Since it's not physically damaged they may be able to access it none invasively.
blackhawk said:
Call them up and see what they say.
Since it's not physically damaged they may be able to access it none invasively.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll do that and report back ASAP. Thanks for the help sire!