Quality and affordable computer support
Hardware
Carrier-IQ Tries To Sue TrevE | xda-developers
02 months ago
Following up on the CarrierIQ story that was featured over at XDA the company has turned around and tried to sue the developer who posted the detailed writeup.
A few days ago, it seems that TrevE received a Cease and Desist letter from CIQ after the maelstrom that was caused by his findings which I spoke about in my previous article. Making a long story short, the article described how the CIQ software was installed on a large chunk of devices out in the market and that it was rather difficult to take out/turn off. Moreover, TrevE used the very accurate definition of rootkit for this software. The reason I say “very accurate” is because I have seen lots of comments from people saying that a rootkit by definition must be able to run code, which is not the case. A perfect example of a piece of software that was a rootkit was Sony’s software which came hidden in media like music CDs and movies and automatically installed itself in your computer if you played it. The only way to remove this thing (before Sony released the patch to uninstall it) was by formatting your computer. The software itself did not run any code but it installed itself silently in your computer and run hidden from sight. Again, the actual definition of rootkit can be found here, so if you are unsure of what it does or what it is, check the link. TrevE’s article went on to explain how the app works, what it collects, and most importantly, how to get rid of it.
The web exploded with comments and cross posts about this in a matter of a few days. After a few days, Carrier-IQ finally caught wind of this and decided to send the following letter to TrevE, where basically they are accusing him of using and redistributing copyrighted and confidential materials without authorization (aka piracy) and also they are demanding that he posts a public apology stating that all of his findings were essentially wrong and that he has nothing but good things to say about Carrier-IQ. The letter also goes on to say that he has about 24 hours to comply or else he would be sued by a large sum, which includes monetary damages, court fees, and other legal related costs. In case you are not sure why the short time frame, it is very clear… they wanted to ensure that TrevE did not have time to seek legal counsel. Luckily, TrevE had enough time to seek legal council from the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), which immediately jumped to his aid.
Hats off to the EFF for coming to his aid! Head on over to XDA and show your support!
More on Carrier IQ
02 months ago
XDA Developers has posted a followup to yesterdays article covering Carrier IQ and what it means to you as a smart phone user.
The point–short, sweet, and at the beginning of the article–is that we do not get to choose whether this information is collected. Or who sees it. Authorized employees only? Marketing and polling firms? Law enforcement? All rhetorical questions, because we don’t know.
Head on over and read the full article:
CarrierIQ | Android Security Test
02 months ago
I found this article on XDA and it then links to the original, that I am sharing with you now. One of the developers over there has dug deep into the code and found this bit of software. A quote from the XDA article:
You may recall from a few articles back that we started talking about something called CIQ or Carrier iQ. This is, essentially, a piece of software that is embedded into most mobile devices, not just Android but Nokia, Blackberry, and likely many more. According to TrevE, the software is installed as a rootkit software in the RAM of devices where it resides. This software basically is completely hidden from view and in it virtually invisible, and worst of all, rather complicated to kill (some devices more so than others and you will see why in a few minutes). This is given root like rights over the device, which means that it can do everything it pleases and you will have nothing to say about it.
Scare stuff. Read the full writeup at the authors blog below.
Sprint’s Policies Updated – iPhone Owners Beware! | xda-developers
03 months ago
I will let the anonymous quote from Sprint speak for it’s self:
iPhone
Apple considers jail breaking an “Unauthorized Modification” which puts the device in the
Red Defect category.o If the jailbreaking and modification are so extensive that the device cannot be used or
triaged by the normal processes, then the device must be flagged as Red (Not
Repairable) and are therefore not eligible for exchange.
• In eTicket, select Non Repairable Damage as the complaint type, iPhone Jailbroken as the complaint detail and close the ticket.
• Ensure your eTicket notes contain thorough details on your findings and that rooting was suspected.
o If the jailbreaking modifications can’t be detected thru the normal processes, proceed as
normal and allow an exchange, classifying the device based on other damage noted.
Sprint’s Policies Updated – iPhone Owners Beware! | xda-developers.
Steve Jobs, RIP.
04 months ago
Steve Jobs – His name will be placed along side of greats like Henry Ford and Albert Einstein when future generations look back on his passing, October 5, 2011. He helped revolutionized the computer industry, drive innovation, and breathed new life into his company when he returned in 2001.
As it has been said already I will just quote some of the comments:
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/10/05/gates-i-will-miss-steve-immensely/
Bill Gates:
The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.
For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely
Tim Cook:
No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.
Even industry rival Google has placed a link in remembrance of his passing.
Here was a man who rose from nothing and truly put a dent in the universe. RIP Steve Jobs!
No iPhone5…is anybody really surprised?
04 months ago
In what is apparently a very surprising move Apple announced the next iphone, but not the 5. As was expected by some they announced the 3G iPhone4S with some various other hardware improvements.
Personally this did not come as any surprise. Without 4G the iPhone5 would not be able to compete with the latest Android offerings. Plus there was reference in the code to the 4S, not the 5.
I would expect to see the 5 in 1st quarter 2012 once 3G coverage has expanded and they work out some of the battery issues.
Droid 3 ClockWorkMod Recovery!!
04 months ago
A HUGE thank you to Hashcode who has been working dilligently to get us ClockWorkMod, the most popular custom recovery, on the Droid 3.
As of right now flashing is disabled but nandroid backups do work. I had no progress bar when I ran it on mine but it worked well. This means we have a good backup option.
Remember, this is a 2nd init recovery. The startup script has to be able to at least partly run (I believe it has to hit line 127) for this to work, so it is still possible to brick your phone.
DROID BIONIC by Motorola is in the wild!!
05 months ago
Just a quick note about the latest Motorola smart phone to hit the market. Sporting dual cores and 4G LTE capabilities it is a powerhouse.
Early reports indicate that the same rooting method that worked on the Droid 3 works here.
DROID BIONIC by Motorola – Android Social Smartphone – - Experience – Motorola Mobility, Inc. USA.
Droid 3 has been rooted??
05 months ago
After several month of hunting and searching for exploits, including some work by myself, one of the developers over at XDA has claimed to finally have cracked Gingerbread 2.3.4 and gotten Root for the Droid 3
We are still waiting on instructions and proof pictures but based on his other posts and some conversations with other devs the chances seem high that we may be looking at root!
Stay tuned for updates as I get them.
Update #1: It is real. The IRC channel is buzzing right now. I showed up a bit late and miss the directions but I hope to have a better idea shortly.
Update #2: The developer has released the instructions :
http://vulnfactory.org/blog/2011/08/25/rooting-the-droid-3/
All credit goes to him for finding this.