[Q] Password Protect Bootloader/Recovery?

demkantor said:

@spearoid
If your tab has fastboot or a download mode that you could use yourself in the future, why not just erase the recovery from tablet all together?
Then when you need to add the recovery back in just flash it yourself first? Just an idea

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Yeah, I hadn't thought deeply about what to do if a passworded recovery doesn't exist. I really like having a recovery so that I can restore an image easily if something gets screwed up, or if I make a new/updated image, I could install it via SD card pretty easily.

If I have to destroy the recovery to close this loophole I will, but I'm not totally sure someone can get into recovery right now anyway because of the way I have locked down the power button when the tablet is on. There doesn't seem to be a way to power off the tablet at all with this mod installed....unless the battery runs out.

Well not sure what make and model tablet you are using but I haven't seen an android device that doesn't allow for a reboot with hardware keys.
Even if it is a sealed battery device with only power and volume keys usually the combo is hold all three keys for 10seconds and it will reboot
Not to say what you're doing isn't helpful, just that it is near impossible to fully protect any android device (or any tech really) but depending on situation there are many things to make unwarranted use very difficult
Best of luck with your project!

demkantor said:

Well not sure what make and model tablet you are using but I haven't seen an android device that doesn't allow for a reboot with hardware keys.
Even if it is a sealed battery device with only power and volume keys usually the combo is hold all three keys for 10seconds and it will reboot
Not to say what you're doing isn't helpful, just that it is near impossible to fully protect any android device (or any tech really) but depending on situation there are many things to make unwarranted use very difficult
Best of luck with your project!

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We're using galaxy tabs. And the only way to do anything with this tablet, with the mods I have running, is to hold the power button for ten seconds. That forces a reboot. You then have to try to press the right buttons as soon as the reboot starts to get into recovery. There is no way to power off the tablet without just letting the battery run down.

So one can get into recovery, but it isn't as easy as normal given the way the power button is being hacked with an Xposed module.

This is why I'd love to password protect the recovery. That's the only way someone could do any damage to the software I have installed. Even though it is harder to get into recovery than normal, it can still be accessed. And I'd rather keep the recovery around so I can do backups and restores without having to use a computer at all.

+1 for dev's to develop a kernel/recovery that gives the OPTION to password protect the bootloader. This would prevent a thief from wiping the device, and phone would eventually be trackable when turned back on.

fastboot oem lock

So much ignorance in this thread. Why would anyone forget the password hmm? IT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO BE DIFFICULT, just difficult enough for a FENCE(not the thief) to recognize that its not the OEM lock and its not wide open and OMG how do I sell this? CONTACT THE OWNER and pray they offer a fiver for the stolen goods you have no right to demand a reward for!

Using fastboot its possible to re-enable the OEM lock. It shouldn't be too far a stretch to setup a custom password fastboot lock, and from there set up CWM or whatever recovery environment to recognize the OEM lock is in place and refuse to install zip files or wipe data without the fastboot password. One of these is on the dev/mod/hacker community. There is simply no reason not to have something resembling a password in CWM. I wouldn't be surprised if the same community could also mod fastboot, but I can't say its their responsibility either.

Dear lord though people. Every other post in this thread opposes password locks at all. Suddenly, honor among thieves is not locking your own doors? I mean, what other environment asks everyone entering to please remove all weapons and lockables besides a thieves den? ... and one run by idiots who hate pracice at that?

+1 for a password protected Bootloader.
No need for a password protected custom recovery, because if you switch of usb-debugging and don´t allow to enter the status bar as well as don't allow to power off your device from lockscreen, this would be a great security method. No access to any recovery would be possible.
In combination with SMSTasks you could toggle gps on, to find your device and the thief can´t do anything (in case of Nexus 5 without battery pulling possibility).

That would be THE thing!

Just the original or all?

azam426 said:

I read somewhere that samsung galaxy s have that option..

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+1 would be good if it was all.

So I went on searching and have some good news.
1. Samsung will be releasing a feature that will detect if your phone is flashed to an other rom without your authorisation. The test starts in the Netherlands with the note 4. I would really like to know how that works, and if we can implement such a feature ourselves with a few custom features.

2. PhilZ Touch costum recovery now has a Recovery Pass-Key Lock! I can't link yet so google it

+1 for a password protected Bootloader, recovery

Don't let dumb people play with your stuff....

Problem solved....

RusherDude said:

3 is very wrong. non-removable battery phones have hardware routines to simulate a baterry pull-off (example, pressing power-off button for 15s on Nexus 5 resarts the phone simulating a battery pull-off).

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Yup this is true and thats why password protection is needed. The advantage of non removal battery phones is they cant be shut down.

i just think about this feature, googled. and after visiting this old thread, i began to think there will be no password protected CWM / Bootloader

00Ghz said:

I opened a similar thread. It is possible to do however it seems people just don't care about the security risk.

Xda app

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how is it possible?

+10
I relly like this concept of password protected bootloader for anti theft.
The thieves will obviously know how to get into recovery or odin but if it gets a paasword protection, no one can steal our phone.
Plus with some apps you could easily trace your phone. The would be really handy.

This is sorely needed for android enthusiasts.

seansc144 said:

This is sorely needed for android enthusiasts.

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This is a double edge sword that people are not thinking all the way through. If it is made to happen the OEM and carriers could completely lock the device down.

I'm going to weigh in here with something that doesn't seem to have been considered.

I don't give a **** about the phone. Seriously. Some **** steals it (which hasn't happened to me before) I'll just buy a new one.

I care greatly about the security of the data on the device. I keep backups, so I don't care about _losing_ it, but I don't want it disclosed to the thief or whoever ends up with the phone. The FDE in Android is most of the solution to this problem. My Nexus device can have the bootloader locked, so an attacker can only install factory software images (which won't compromise my data, and will immediately alert me that - hey - this isn't my ROM). To unlock the bootloader the attacker has to nuke my data. So I'm perfectly fine with the current state of affairs as far as the bootloader on the Nexus devices goes.

However, even if I lock the bootloader, an attacker can boot into Cyanogen Recovery and install a trojan-horse ROM that'll bone me when I "find" my phone. This is the hole that I want to close with an optional password-protected Recovery.

And yes, I do realize that I am paranoid. However, this approach has already saved my ass with Truecrypt on my laptop. The thief would have taken the laptop with him out the window if he hadn't turned it on and realized it was a brick.

starslab said:

I'm going to weigh in here with something that doesn't seem to have been considered.

I don't give a **** about the phone. Seriously. Some **** steals it (which hasn't happened to me before) I'll just buy a new one.

I care greatly about the security of the data on the device. I keep backups, so I don't care about _losing_ it, but I don't want it disclosed to the thief or whoever ends up with the phone. The FDE in Android is most of the solution to this problem. My Nexus device can have the bootloader locked, so an attacker can only install factory software images (which won't compromise my data, and will immediately alert me that - hey - this isn't my ROM). To unlock the bootloader the attacker has to nuke my data. So I'm perfectly fine with the current state of affairs as far as the bootloader on the Nexus devices goes.

However, even if I lock the bootloader, an attacker can boot into Cyanogen Recovery and install a trojan-horse ROM that'll bone me when I "find" my phone. This is the hole that I want to close with an optional password-protected Recovery.

And yes, I do realize that I am paranoid. However, this approach has already saved my ass with Truecrypt on my laptop. The thief would have taken the laptop with him out the window if he hadn't turned it on and realized it was a brick.

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I am with you, but it simply won't be possible until your manufacturer implements it or open source their bootloaders. The latter will never happen, because if they do, you might find multiple backdoors for "freedom loving" governments, which nowdays include all western governments+.

Also, even if you have a bootloader password, nothing prevents a thief from flashing stock rom wiping everything without ever accessing bootloader. So, you also need a mechanism to prevent access to flashing mode. Again, no one but your manufacturer can do it...

I see only one solution: if your phone has a separate charging outlet, epoxy usb connection, get rid of external sd card and epoxy that socket too. Then encrypt your phone, and before losing, turn it off. That way it might be quite difficult even for a state adversary to get to your data. Yet, they still have other means of "talking" you into turning the phone on for them: fingers jammed in the door?

optimumpro said:

I am with you, but it simply won't be possible until your manufacturer implements it or open source their bootloaders. The latter will never happen, because if they do, you might find multiple backdoors for "freedom loving" governments, which nowdays include all western governments+.

Also, even if you have a bootloader password, nothing prevents a thief from flashing stock rom wiping everything without ever accessing bootloader. So, you also need a mechanism to prevent access to flashing mode. Again, no one but your manufacturer can do it...

I see only one solution: if your phone has a separate charging outlet, epoxy usb connection, get rid of external sd card and epoxy that socket too. Then encrypt your phone, and before losing, turn it off. That way it might be quite difficult even for a state adversary to get to your data. Yet, they still have other means of "talking" you into turning the phone on for them: fingers jammed in the door?

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Erm.... Did you even read the post? I explicitly said I'm fine with the bootloader on my Nexus device, it's an optional password-protected Recovery that I want....

starslab said:

Erm.... Did you even read the post? I explicitly said I'm fine with the bootloader on my Nexus device, it's an optional password-protected Recovery that I want....

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I read the post, so, there is no reason for jumping to conclusions...

Password for recovery? You can have 20 passwords: all I have to do is put the phone in fastboot and execute the following: fastboot erase recovery. And your recovery (together with passwords) will be gone. Then the next step is: fastboot flash boot boot.img (my image) and I have access to your phone.

I don't think you are paranoid at all, but what you are asking is impossible to implement unless done by manufacturer or bootloader source code is made available for everybody...

Edit: even if your bootloader is locked, no sophisticated attacker would ever need to install a rigged rom to spy on you. If they need your data, they will simply and easily target your phone through modem/baseband and will get everything without you or Android noticing anything (and note, they don't even have to have physical access to your phone).. Baseband is a mini OS with its own kernel, which is hooked directly into your ram and hardware. And pretty conveniently, baseband (hardware and software), as well as gps, are hidden inside the cpu chip (so, you can't touch anything there). So, in this case, your protected recovery, as well as data encryption will be useless.

The only way to protect against the above attack (provided they had not targeted you before) is what I have described (epoxing usb and sd card slots). This way you will create a big headache for snoops. Again, It will only work if they come to you and you have time to turn your phone off. To be sure, you should turn the phone off, then on and off again before the interface is up. This way, you will prevent a cold boot attack, which otherwise may recover your encryption key from ram. But if they had targeted your phone already (through baseband), even this won't help. In that case, you'll have to throw away your phone and run...