20 minutes about rooting Android

A few words about rooting Android. Paying tribute to old school hackers. Towelroot, Rage Against The Cage, rooting G1 with just typing in right command using keyboard.

1. 20 minutes about rooting Android devices Paying tribute to old school hackers Aleksander Piotrowski @pelotasplus
2. Why to root your device?
4. Why to root your device? • su ◦ superuser ◦ superSu • custom recovery ◦ twrp, clockworkmod recovery, • ...
5. Why to root your device? • ... • install full Linux distribution, i.e. Debian • install Android build from AOSP • customize boot image • create full backups • create custom ROMs • install apps on SD Card • use phone as a tether or wireless router
6. The process - nowadays
7. The process - nowadays • fastboot oem unlock • flash boot and other (recovery) images • flash su • reboot ;-)
8. CF-(Auto-)Root
9. Jorrit Jongma • @ChainfireXDA • Netherlands • superSU • thousands of pet projects
10. CF-Auto-Root • stock firmwares • just adds su • a bit more in non-Auto version
11. CF-Auto-Root • crafted boot image • user has to unlock bootloader • and install new boot image • after starting with crafted boot image • some files are changes ◦ SELinux policies ◦ su • recovery is not changed
15. The process - back in the day
16. The process - back in the day • find a bug in the kernel • … or in Android itself • write an exploit, so that it can ... • flash custom recovery image • install su binary
17. Rooting G1
18. • https://twitter.com/koush • gplus.to/koush • USA • ClockworkMod & cyanogenmod • DeskSMS • Vysor • ion • AndroidAsync • ~ 11/2008 Koushik Dutta
20. Rooting G1 with … a keyboard • old enough version was needed • but easily can flash it back if has newer one • start the phone, and… • … type in: <enter> <enter> t e l n e t d • telnet deamon was just started • can connect using terminal program from Market
21. Rage Against The Cage
22. Sebastian Krahmer • http://c-skills.blogspot.com/ • Switzerland • hacks everything • likes Miguel de Icaza ;-) • Aug, 2010
24. Fork bomb
25. Fork bomb • DoS attack • a process continually replicates itself to deplete available system resources causing resource starvation and slowing or crashing the system • in 1978 an early variant of a fork bomb called wabbit was reported to run on a System/360 • before in 1969 a RABBITS reported on a Burroughs 5500
26. 1978 System/360
27. Burroughs 5500 1969
28. Rooting Android with … adbd phone adbd notebook adb tcp/ip usb as root fork
29. /* don't listen on a port (default 5037) and don't run as root if we are running in secure mode */ if (secure) { ... /* then switch user and group to "shell" */ setgid(AID_SHELL); setuid(AID_SHELL); ... } not checking return value
30. Rooting Android with … adbd • setuid drops root process count • and increases shell user count • all that within global Android process limit RLIMIT_NPROC • spawn many shell user processes to reach the limit • and then do yet another adb call • … to see setuid failing • and adbd being run as root user
31. /* don't listen on a port (default 5037) and don't run as root if we are running in secure mode */ if (should_drop_privileges()) { drop_capabilities_bounding_set_if_needed(); /* then switch user and group to "shell" */ if (setgid(AID_SHELL) != 0) { PLOG(FATAL) << "Could not setgid"; } if (setuid(AID_SHELL) != 0) { PLOG(FATAL) << "Could not setuid"; }
32. Towelroot
33. • @geohot__ • on his plate ◦ iPhone 2007 ◦ PlayStation 2009 ◦ Android 2014 • around kernel bug discovered by Pinkie Pie • one click-root tool • Jun, 2014 George Hotz
36. http://tinyhack.com/2014/07/07/exploiting-the-futex-bug- and-uncovering-towelroot/ http://static.lwn.net/images/conf/rtlws11/papers/proc/p10. pdf
39. static int futex_requeue(u32 __user *uaddr1, unsigned int flags, u32 __user *uaddr2, int nr_wake, int nr_requeue, u32 *cmpval, int requeue_pi) { union futex_key key1 = FUTEX_KEY_INIT, key2 = FUTEX_KEY_INIT; int drop_count = 0, task_count = 0, ret; struct futex_pi_state *pi_state = NULL; struct futex_hash_bucket *hb1, *hb2; struct futex_q *this, *next; if (requeue_pi) { /* + * Requeue PI only works on two distinct uaddrs. This + * check is only valid for private futexes. See below. + */ + if (uaddr1 == uaddr2) + return -EINVAL;
40. Towelroot • kernel bug • super smart guy to find a super smart way to exploit it • some structure in kernel that we can tweak a bit • a syscall to connect kernel space with userland • payload to be executed