{PRO} Whole device encryption and ICS? - Xperia Arc Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi,
I have a MK16i Xperia Pro phone for work that has to meet certain security criteria that I foolishly assumed the stock ICS update would give, sadly Sony, in it's infinite wisdom, removed the whole device encryption from the stock ICS ROM.
For work, my Android phone must run a minimum of ICS, have full device and SD card encrypted and not be rooted. Is there any combinations of ROM's/Firmware that can achieve this goal? Riyal did at one point offer to do a firmware without automatic rooting, but I know he's busy still beavering away with his ICS Firmware/ROM combo, including solving a wifi issue.
While the device should not be rooted, there would be no problem with me rooting it to apply stuff as long as I can unroot it after. The work security spyware looks for root, ICS and encryption only and I work in the team that deploys this nonsense so getting round it for a short term isn't an issue. Sadly I can't abuse my position and leave it non compliant for too long.
Thanks!

Related

[Q] Succesfull root of I9192xxubnb1

Hey guys,
yesterday I bought a i9192 in Germany (not officially sold here --> imported).
First thing it did was to update to I9192XXUBNB1. After that, I wanted to gain root access as I want to use different software that needs root (Tasker, Titanium Backup, StickMount, ...).
Unfortunately, there are many guides but from non of them, I was able to see if it really worked for I9192XXUBNB1 and which problem appear afterwards.
Can anyone help me to find a guide that defintively works?
I'm not sure what will happen in Europe if the Knox-Flag gets triggered with an imported phone but with all the Samsung-Sw on it and without Tasker, its note really funny to use the phone. So, if there is a way withoug triggering Knox, it would be great. And if not, well, let's hope I don't need the warranty ...
Thanks and greetings,
Matthias
You should not have updated your phone so fast. I9192XXUBNB1 seems to be a version not easy to be rooted. The easiest way is to actually install a pre-rooted knox-free rom. You have now installed a stock rom with Knox and it is impossible to install a pre-rooted rom without triggering Knox.
Here is the pre-rooted rom:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2620621
Last reminder: upon installation of any non-official rom the Knox counter will be triggered immediately
Yes, well, I know now ...
But normally, first thing I do with new devices is updating to the newest version - in this case, this was a mistake.
As a result, I flashed the version cou mentioned, triggered the flag - and everything works fine.
Busybox installed, Secure Settings and Tasker is up and running.
As I'm from Germany, I hope there won't be any problem IF I have the need for warranty.
Thanks,
Matthias
matmike said:
Yes, well, I know now ...
But normally, first thing I do with new devices is updating to the newest version - in this case, this was a mistake.
As a result, I flashed the version cou mentioned, triggered the flag - and everything works fine.
Busybox installed, Secure Settings and Tasker is up and running.
As I'm from Germany, I hope there won't be any problem IF I have the need for warranty.
Thanks,
Matthias
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes we all should blame Samsung for making the stupid Knox a default installation instead of optional. Also rooting of newer firmware is more and more difficult.
In general, you're right as the new software "features" really make bad problems for the experienced users who want to use advanced functions.
But from a different point of view, I partially can understand what Samsung does: IF they have a problem with more cases of warranty with rooted/modfied devices that go back to original directly before sending them back to Samsun, the thing they did is the only way to solve that - know if a phone was modified.
Personally, I work in automotive industry and there is a similar problem: Some people alwas try to tune their cars (in more or less senseful ways). And if there is a problem with a part of the car, they just go back to the original state like "what, me, no modification at all". In the end, this would cause costs for the company. So why not implement just a flag that shows "Modified" so you can reject warranty for parts that get problems with tuning (engine, axles, clutches) if tuning caused the problem. The rest of the parts that is not involved (radio, body, ...) is still valid for normal warranty.
With my samsung phone, that means: if there is a defect, Samsung has the chance to check if the modification caused the problem or not and eventually reject a repair. Of course, "With great power comes great responsibility" so let's hope Samsung uses the power in a good way without rejecting every failure of a modified phone. If the button on the front falls out, it is very unlikely that wrong software caused the problem
Greeting,
Matthias

Couple of questions

So I received my new N5X yesterday and loving it. Typically I root Nexus' right out of the box but this time I decided to give it a shot in stock form. Now I'm looking to unlock the bootloader and root but I have a few questions.
Android Pay - will unlocking my bootloader and rooting the stock ROM break Android Pay?
Encryption - will unlocking my bootloader and rooting the stock ROM prevent me from staying encrypted?
I love the stock ROM but would like to add an ad-blocker, snapprefs (for snapchat), among a couple others.
All help is appreciated!
I don't use Android pay so I can't help you with that.
You only need to take care if you want to keep the phone in un-encrypted.
Encrypted mode is the default anyway so you won't have any problems keeping it encrypted.
You may have some trouble keeping you're encrypted data partition when installing a custom ROM though.
peltus said:
You only need to take care if you want to keep the phone in un-encrypted.
Encrypted mode is the default anyway so you won't have any problems keeping it encrypted.
You may have some trouble keeping you're encrypted data partition when installing a custom ROM though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah - perfect! No plans for a custom ROM so no worries there.
Anyone have experience with a rooted, stock ROM and Android Pay?
In the following topic they are talking about an exposed app called ' no device check'.
Maybe something to get you started in looking into Android pay:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-5x/general/marshmallow-xposed-t3249145/page2

Looking for an actual root-method for amami 5.1.1 Lollipop

Hey guys!
First I have to explain that I'm German and englisch is not my native language.
Second thing is, I'm a complete newbie to the whole smartphone/android stuff.
My Z1c was almost unused since I bought it. I'll need it for now and want to root it and have an actual, stable and secure system/ROM on it. Therefore I'm looking for an "easy" method to root and unlock the bootloader. (I never rooted a phone so far)
Tried KingoRoot and Towelroot but doesn't worked. Google only showed "old" methods, so I rather ask here before bricking.
If it's possible I would prefer an other method for unlocking the bootloader than the official/ legit via Sony HP...
Have a way more questions after rooting and unlocking. Be warned! :laugh:
Edit: Is this (search4rootsdotcom) trustworthy?
3dg4r Fr13ndly said:
Hey guys!
First I have to explain that I'm German and englisch is not my native language.
Second thing is, I'm a complete newbie to the whole smartphone/android stuff.
My Z1c was almost unused since I bought it. I'll need it for now and want to root it and have an actual, stable and secure system/ROM on it. Therefore I'm looking for an "easy" method to root and unlock the bootloader. (I never rooted a phone so far)
Tried KingoRoot and Towelroot but doesn't worked. Google only showed "old" methods, so I rather ask here before bricking.
If it's possible I would prefer an other method for unlocking the bootloader than the official/ legit via Sony HP...
Have a way more questions after rooting and unlocking. Be warned! :laugh:
Edit: Is this (search4rootsdotcom) trustworthy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure why you don't want to use Sony unlocking method, and also can't imagine who besides Sony would have the unlock code. Once you have the code, you could use Flashtool to unlock, but you have to go through Sony to get the code.
If you do unlock bl, rooting is easy, via fastboot/adb. If bl is locked, Kingroot works, (not sure which version you tried, but latest version is proven to work - I've done it myself at least 3 times). Most people prefer not to use Kingroot as a permanent root manager, but once you're rooted, it's easy to switch to whatever you want.
Many stable and very good rooms to choose from.
Once you got yourself TWRP 3 running you have a lot of options to choose from.
I've been modding my Z1C for two years now and i'm positive that for normal usage AOSP roms don't make the cut, there have been multiple occasions with AOSP / CM roms where i had bugs with latest YouTube app versions, random shutdowns and over-average battery consumption in idle despite kernel tweaking which are all not present in stock-based roms. I was using a slightly modded 14.6.A.236 for most of 2015 until now which worked fine but i cluttered the phone too much so it became super slow and almost unusable. I've very recently backed up everything and clean-flashed DStrikerZ1 rom because it's the most-followed rom for the Z1C and i have to say i'm positively surprised by it's UX performance and overall style. Once i know how to fix my mobile network* i'll probably recommend it but until then you might just wanna flash stock .236, root and then de-bloat using TitaniumBackup (or whatever you prefer) which i know will definitely be bullet-proof.
By the way i'm also from Germany so feel free to hit me up for questions, i'll help where i can.
*Edit: Mobile network working, just had to mess with the internet service provider settings a bit. That makes DStrikerZ the best rom i've used so far on this phone.
Much appreciate guys!
I've got the unlock code and will do it tomorrow.
Read all over about absolutely making an TA-Backup BEFORE unlocking the bootloader cuz of loosing the Bravia Engine, DRM-Keys and Track-ID so I was uncertain....

How can I secure my phone/data after installing a custom rom?

Hello,
So the title saif it all... How can I secure my data after installing a custom rom (e.g after unlocking the bootloader, root the phone, (when I install my extendedui rom(really great rom by the way) I had to desable enforcing encryption, is that mean that my data in not encrypted by android right now?)
Any suggestions, informations, explanation would be appreciated.
Have a nice day
Don't expect securing your phone if you've unlocked your bootloader, rooted your phone and installed a custom ROM.
Unlocked bootloader means if you lose the device, someone can just flash it and use it as their own or they can reach all your data on the phone as it is unencrypted.
Rooted software means some apps might do shady stuff in the background, if you accidentally allow them.
Custom ROM means you have to trust the dev of the ROM, no one can guarantee the security of your device, which is CLEARLY stated on the thread of every ROM.
So, if you want security, encryption etc. you need stock firmware on the latest update and a locked bootloader. That way, at least if something happens, Xiaomi or Google could be held accountable.
marstonpear said:
Don't expect securing your phone if you've unlocked your bootloader, rooted your phone and installed a custom ROM.
Unlocked bootloader means if you lose the device, someone can just flash it and use it as their own or they can reach all your data on the phone as it is unencrypted.
Rooted software means some apps might do shady stuff in the background, if you accidentally allow them.
Custom ROM means you have to trust the dev of the ROM, no one can guarantee the security of your device, which is CLEARLY stated on the thread of every ROM.
So, if you want security, encryption etc. you need stock firmware on the latest update and a locked bootloader. That way, at least if something happens, Xiaomi or Google could be held accountable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your answer, Is there any trick/manœuvre I can do to encrypte my data at least?
marstonpear said:
Don't expect securing your phone if you've unlocked your bootloader, rooted your phone and installed a custom ROM.
Unlocked bootloader means if you lose the device, someone can just flash it and use it as their own or they can reach all your data on the phone as it is unencrypted.
Rooted software means some apps might do shady stuff in the background, if you accidentally allow them.
Custom ROM means you have to trust the dev of the ROM, no one can guarantee the security of your device, which is CLEARLY stated on the thread of every ROM.
So, if you want security, encryption etc. you need stock firmware on the latest update and a locked bootloader. That way, at least if something happens, Xiaomi or Google could be held accountable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The fragment about encryption is incorrect, your data can be and IS encrypted if you choose to, on any custom ROM that supports encryption.
The truth is, you need to trust developers responsible for the code.
For that reason, with your personal sensitive data it is only reasonable to trust big projects, like official LineageOS builds.
general.nie7 said:
The fragment about encryption is incorrect, your data can be and IS encrypted if you choose to, on any custom ROM that supports encryption.
The truth is, you need to trust developers responsible for the code.
For that reason, with your personal sensitive data it is only reasonable to trust big projects, like official LineageOS builds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oops, my bad. Encryption is possible on custom ROMs but if someone stole your device, I believe it won't be to steal your data but rather to format and sell/use the device; with an unlocked bootloader that is quite easy to do. I also agree with the big projects part, but still, if anything happens to your device, you won't be able to hold anyone responsible for it. Cheers.

Is it worth to root your Samsung Galaxy S10+

Hello,
Yesterday, I successfully rooted my Samsung Galaxy S10+. But since I still had some questions about it, I went on and posted a thread here. User Spaceminer then pointed out that my original post was in the wrong subforum and linked me here. Naturally, I looked at some of the most popular posts in hopes to find answers to my questions. But what I found confused me more than it gave me answers.
Since 2014 with the Samsung Galaxy S5 I got used to rooting in order to disable bloatware, protect my data and customize my phone. I continued doing that with the S8+ until I recently got my hands on the S10. Now, my main reason for rooting are still the same; I want disable (not necessarily uninstall) bloatware, protect my privacy and customize my phone (such as changing the background of the dial when calling someone). But that thread made me wonder if it is even essential to root. I also found a similar post on reddit and most answers seem to agree that it is not necessary to root your phones.
Now, my situation is a bit different. For one, I already rooted my phone. Second, I don't care about warranty nor custom ROMs. But I do want to install a banking app. Also, it is a bit cumbersome to not only have to manually update your phone with every update but the booting requirements with the warning screen are also a bit annoying. So, my question is the following:
What are the advantages of rooting that are not possible without? I have 3 main concerns: Bloatware, Privacy and Customization.
The reason why I posted this in a separate threat is that I was not able to come to a definitive conclusion on my own and most discussion threads are over a year old. By now, the whole process of rooting and what is possible changed since then, so I want to get a more recent insight. I hope you can help me out.
With kind regards,
DasMalzbier
Tbh root is not needed, unless you want to use a custom rom. Most things are already in the android now.
Calyx os not make for samsung Galaxy series and 12 update also comes this year so i think rooting is unnecessary for s10 series
Root is 100%, absolutely necessary for using the phone. I cannot use any phone without it. Critical root-only capabilities:
full system backups (in twrp)
titanium backup
disable updates permanently (update ONLY when want to)
app freezers (app quarantine)
disable/remove bloatware
disable google play services/google play
automate/tasker
cf lumen
adblockers
wifi tether
busybox
superuser
ssh tunnel
update android to later version / install custom roms
optimize system
button mapper
custom theming / substratum
nav gestures
tidypanel
xposed
root explorer
app privacy customizations
3c all-in-one toolbox
more
Without root, the phone is unusable to me. I will never buy any phone without root capability. I am willing to go to different carriers just to get root on the device, or go to different manufacturers if root is blocked. For example, I will never buy a huawei device - they are locked.
I would like to say yes but I can't. the stock apps are very well designed.
The biggest concern is that custom Roms are released faster than modded apps.
For example I tried about ten GCAMs and all of them have a bug... and it becomes more complicated with Exynos.
OpenGcam is not worth samsung app.
Unable to get voice match to work.
Alarms that you can't set to a specific day with the google app.
And so on.
Root is useful when the manufacturer no longer updates the devices.
I regret having Root mine because I lost Samsung Pay and other things.
DemotionFR said:
I would like to say yes but I can't. the stock apps are very well designed.
The biggest concern is that custom Roms are released faster than modded apps.
For example I tried about ten GCAMs and all of them have a bug... and it becomes more complicated with Exynos.
OpenGcam is not worth samsung app.
Unable to get voice match to work.
Alarms that you can't set to a specific day with the google app.
And so on.
Root is useful when the manufacturer no longer updates the devices.
I regret having Root mine because I lost Samsung Pay and other things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only one that would have any consequence of rooting is Samsung Pay.
xbt- said:
Root is 100%, absolutely necessary for using the phone. I cannot use any phone without it. Critical root-only capabilities:
full system backups (in twrp)
titanium backup
disable updates permanently (update ONLY when want to)
app freezers (app quarantine)
disable/remove bloatware
disable google play services/google play
automate/tasker
cf lumen
adblockers
wifi tether
busybox
superuser
ssh tunnel
update android to later version / install custom roms
optimize system
button mapper
custom theming / substratum
nav gestures
tidypanel
xposed
root explorer
app privacy customizations
3c all-in-one toolbox
more
Without root, the phone is unusable to me. I will never buy any phone without root capability. I am willing to go to different carriers just to get root on the device, or go to different manufacturers if root is blocked. For example, I will never buy a huawei device - they are locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you carrier /network unlock with the root >?
NickosD said:
Tbh root is not needed, unless you want to use a custom rom. Most things are already in the android now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, even if you wanna use custom rom you don't need to root. Just pick the rom with the apps you want or just use the gapps packages you want, if want essential to work gapps then use pico or nano. If there is still something you want to remove and the romdoesn't allow, just use adb shell commands and thats it. Less issues with banks not working because of Magisk (root). I know Magisk has a feature to hide itself, change its name but depending on the app, the libs can be found and know that is Magisk, so for security purposes some apps don't work and some aren't even shown in the Google Play Store just because you rooted the device.
logandavid said:
maybe now the root is not needed but later down the road when your phone will get obsolete and newer android OS updates will be halted for S10+ then you'll be more attracted towards custom roms. Actually it is just personal preference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's happening right now, I doubt S10+ will receive Android 13 and now just security and bug fix updates are being shipped by Samsung.
Haknor said:
It's happening right now, I doubt S10+ will receive Android 13 and now just security and bug fix updates are being shipped by Samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It won't get any new Android upgrades AFAIK.
But appart from tripping knox, what else do I lose if I unlock my bootloader? I read once, quite a while ago, that the battery is limited to 80% of its full capacity. Is that true?
io_gh0st said:
It won't get any new Android upgrades AFAIK.
But appart from tripping knox, what else do I lose if I unlock my bootloader? I read once, quite a while ago, that the battery is limited to 80% of its full capacity. Is that true?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depending on the version, you'll notice stock camera to be limited or not work as expected, secure folder, dual messenger either not working, it can trigger some banks or payment apps (especially if you root), no more ota updates (if you keep using stock rom), drm content can stop working, samsung pay, Play Store might limited the apps you see and so on... Not sure about the battery, for me unlocking the bootloader and switching to another rom made my battery last more than stock, but it depends on the rom, the device, it's not a rule of thumb.

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