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T-Mobile G1 Rooted
An anonymous reader writes "T-Mobile's G1 phone, the first commercially available Android based phone, has been rooted. The exploit is extremely simple to execute, just requiring you to run telnetd from a terminal on the phone, and then connecting to the phone via telnet."
This just in, all machines that you have root access on rooted! If you have access to run telnetd you already have root.
...wasn't this supposed to be an open platform anyway? I don't quite get it.
Waiting to see how many non-Linux types try this and get in trouble. Its not a good idea to change permissions on sh. All other apps you run on your phone and use sh are now running as root [:)] I would be very scared of this setup. Going to enjoy this
Well, its a problem if you are both security conscious AND stupid.... oh how I wish that was a much smaller intersection than it actually is....
Monstar L
This is like saying something is "bricked" when it's just a bad firmware flash that can be fixed.
The phone isn't rooted. Rooted means someone gained root access through an exploit and/or installed a root kit. Running telnetd and then connecting as root is a normal method of logging in, no exploits required.
Or are they saying every UNIX system that has a method of remote access is rooted?
Sorry, I fail for not RTFA. They are misusing "rooted", which confused me. "rooted" in the popular [geek] vernacular means that a remote non-admin user can gain root access, such as through a buffer overflow exploit. It has nothing to do with the practice of gaining root access on your own devices.
It's apparently weirder than that. Running "telnetd" as an ordinary user apparently allows remote logins as root. This happens even though the "telnetd" executable does not apparently come with permissions set-UID to root. If that's correct, there's a security hole somewhere else that's being used by accident here. Is "login" a set-UID program on Android phones?
(As a robotics guy, I hate the name "Android" being used for a telephone. It's the worst choice since "U.S. Robotics" which ended up as a modem company.)
Better get used to it. First was the "hacker" word, now "rooting".
What's next, "open"?
Extreme Programming - Redundant Array of Inexpensive Developers
The point of this exploit isn't so you can remotely hack other people's phones, it's so mobile hackers can get to a lower level than Android permits users to do, which will allow them to flash the phone with unsigned custom updates and what not and customise their phone more.
People should really read the articles and smarten up.
The problem with slashdot is that most of its users were bullied and stuffed into lockers as kids!
Comment removed based on user account deletion
So are Terms and Conditions.
Terms are the things around your pluses and minuses.
Conditions (in my interpretation) are expressions of an integral type inside a conditional statement.
I wouldn't want to handle volatile chemicals or long johns or union jacks if I'm about to get struct bylightning. Happened to me once, a long long time ago.