Related
After surfing the web a bit, I came across a few notorious Android Spy Software applications that could run in your background without you knowing. It is not visible and cannot be detected. I have read that that the only way to eliminate and uninstall the program is through a re-installation of the operating system. With that said, I have been suspicious of my brother for installing this on my HTC EVO. I let him toy with my phone while I showered without thinking of the repercussions for 5-7 minutes.
As bad as it sounds, he is the type that likes to be in control of electronics so that if things get a turn for the worst in our brotherly relationship, he can rely on electronic controls to do any type of damage (banking information, passwords, etc.).
I just spoke with a worker at a Sprint repair store right before they closed for the day and I'm wondering if Sprint can do an OS re-install. Also, is the OS re-install safe to do (does it truly keep the phone factory and completely in-tact)? Is it common?
Tell me if I need to clarify more.
just do a factory reset, it wipes everything.
That was my initial route to deal with this issue (Settings > Privacy > Factory data reset), unless there was another way to actually hard reset the phone. I'd be glad to know if there was.
The thing about Android Spy Software is that it is untraceable and uninstallable unless the OS is re-installed. Soft resetting the phone will not resolve the issue.
Any other ideas? And, is there a way to hard reset the phone?
Brandizle said:
That was my initial route to deal with this issue (Settings > Privacy > Factory data reset), unless there was another way to actually hard reset the phone. I'd be glad to know if there was.
The thing about Android Spy Software is that it is untraceable and uninstallable unless the OS is re-installed. Soft resetting the phone will not resolve the issue.
Any other ideas? And, is there a way to hard reset the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unless you rooted your phone and the software is embeding it's self in part of the nand(unlikely and not possible without root(i think)), nothing will survive a factory reset. If you really want to wipe it then just root and install a custom rom, then lock your phone lol. Also, no offence, but your brother sounds like a real a$$hat.
Brandizle said:
That was my initial route to deal with this issue (Settings > Privacy > Factory data reset), unless there was another way to actually hard reset the phone. I'd be glad to know if there was.
The thing about Android Spy Software is that it is untraceable and uninstallable unless the OS is re-installed. Soft resetting the phone will not resolve the issue.
Any other ideas? And, is there a way to hard reset the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is the way to hard reset the phone. The only thing I think it doesn't wipe is the SD card, so I would wipe that, then the phone, you know how to format the sd card with windows?
There's no rooting of my phone. I came across the article: "How To Detect Android Spyware | 5 Ways To Detect Android Spyware" a few hours ago and it stated near the end,
"So what can you do if you think you have Android spy software on your phone? The only way to remove the software is to reinstall the operating system. This can be done at the place of purchase. Just take it in and tell them that you think someone has installed Android spyware on your phone, so you would like to reinstall the OS.
One thing I'd like to point out is that the above list represents only the most common signs that someone might have installed Android spyware on your phone. The problem is that you cannot be 100% sure either way, because everyone uses their cell phone differently. The only way to know 100% that your cell phone is free of Android spy software, is to make sure that you keep it close to you at all times, use a phone lock that requires a PIN number, and closely monitor your cell phone for any unusual behavior."
I'm not sure if I can post links, but if you google the article title I stated, you can find it. I wanted some advanced inputs from android developers' points of view.
BAleR said:
That is the way to hard reset the phone. The only thing I think it doesn't wipe is the SD card, so I would wipe that, then the phone, you know how to format the sd card with windows?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd be happy to know.
I know indeed know how to wipe my SD card using Windows. Correct me if I'm wrong: Start > My Computer > *right-click SD card* > Format..
What's the instructions to hard resetting the android device, if you don't mind me asking?
Brandizle said:
There's no rooting of my phone. I came across the article: "How To Detect Android Spyware | 5 Ways To Detect Android Spyware" a few hours ago and it stated near the end,
"So what can you do if you think you have Android spy software on your phone? The only way to remove the software is to reinstall the operating system. This can be done at the place of purchase. Just take it in and tell them that you think someone has installed Android spyware on your phone, so you would like to reinstall the OS.
One thing I'd like to point out is that the above list represents only the most common signs that someone might have installed Android spyware on your phone. The problem is that you cannot be 100% sure either way, because everyone uses their cell phone differently. The only way to know 100% that your cell phone is free of Android spy software, is to make sure that you keep it close to you at all times, use a phone lock that requires a PIN number, and closely monitor your cell phone for any unusual behavior."
I'm not sure if I can post links, but if you google the article title I stated, you can find it. I wanted some advanced inputs from android developers' points of view.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not gonna lie you sound SUPER paranoid but like everyone else stated if you do a factory wipe it will get rid of anything or if you are THAT worried download a RUU its the same thing sprint would do while laughing at your paranoid ass in the back room
donniegood said:
Not gonna lie you sound SUPER paranoid but like everyone else stated if you do a factory wipe it will get rid of anything or if you are THAT worried download a RUU its the same thing sprint would do while laughing at your paranoid ass in the back room
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Eh...it happens.
donniegood said:
Not gonna lie you sound SUPER paranoid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
A little more history would be useful here
Duplicate post.
acrh2 said:
+1
A little more history would be useful here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It all started back when we were children emerging into teens. My brother started with Neopets and slowly began scamming kids of their neopoints through false logins and other obvious ploys to trick children. As we entered high school, he and his friend began getting intrigued with developing viruses and spyware as a game to trick one another into falling into each others' traps and obtain each other's data. Me and my brother were on bad terms several times before due to his state-of-mind that being a bigger brother means being able to have full control of the younger siblings' lives, including me and my sister. He began restricting access to general surfing, such as Digg, Reddit, and social networking sites in general. Then, my brother began loosening up and allowing for it, but told us that he would keep keylogs going through router control and had access to login informations as well as chat histories with local friends.
Perhaps, I am being paranoid. I don't know.
Brandizle said:
There's no rooting of my phone. I came across the article: "How To Detect Android Spyware | 5 Ways To Detect Android Spyware" a few hours ago and it stated near the end,
"So what can you do if you think you have Android spy software on your phone? The only way to remove the software is to reinstall the operating system. This can be done at the place of purchase. Just take it in and tell them that you think someone has installed Android spyware on your phone, so you would like to reinstall the OS.
One thing I'd like to point out is that the above list represents only the most common signs that someone might have installed Android spyware on your phone. The problem is that you cannot be 100% sure either way, because everyone uses their cell phone differently. The only way to know 100% that your cell phone is free of Android spy software, is to make sure that you keep it close to you at all times, use a phone lock that requires a PIN number, and closely monitor your cell phone for any unusual behavior."
I'm not sure if I can post links, but if you google the article title I stated, you can find it. I wanted some advanced inputs from android developers' points of view.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I looked at that site you're talking about
http://www.androidspysoftware.com/
The site is an attempt to scare you and sell you their Mobile Spy software, sounds like it worked.
That's pretty intense lol.
I would whack my brother over the head with a crowbar if he ****ed with my privacy.
My theoretical brother, that is
You haven't a thing to worry about.. Just make sure "Install from unknown sources" isn't checked and I highly doubt you'll ever have a problem..
topdnbass said:
That's pretty intense lol.
I would whack my brother over the head with a crowbar if he ****ed with my privacy.
My theoretical brother, that is
You haven't a thing to worry about.. Just make sure "Install from unknown sources" isn't checked and I highly doubt you'll ever have a problem..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for empathizing.
After I realized of any theoretical repercussions of allowing him access to my phone for a few minutes while I was in the shower, I immediately went and did a factory data reset, which I believe to be a hard reset.
I also made sure the "Install from unknown sources" was always unchecked.
Me and my brother previously had bad blood. His intentions of being controlling have put his past girlfriends in a bad state of mind. Recently, he has made one of his past girlfriends (at the moment, he was dating her), re-surface her history of self-mutilation. He made her move from Iowa (I think) to live closer to him near our university. She was too late to enroll and after a few months of being with him, she got scared of his controlling attitude and uncontrollable fits of rage and outlashes. She later on during the relationship hid under beds instead of sleeping on them and kept cutting her arm and fingers. Her mother was so outraged that she made a plane ride from Iowa to Kansas just to take her back and my brother hid himself the day she arrived. He was scared of her mother and what would happen if she got her fingers on him.
ausch30 said:
I looked at that site you're talking about
http://www.androidspysoftware.com/
The site is an attempt to scare you and sell you their Mobile Spy software, sounds like it worked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The site was for spyware (Android Spy Software), not against spyware. They're trying to sell it in order to install the application and spy on others without their knowing. My concern is to remove it, so there's no incentive for me to buy their product as it would not benefit my case.
girl knows how to write, felt like i was watching a lifetime movie.. uhh, not that ive ever seen one since im a pretty hardcore dude
Indeed...half expecting something needing moderated shortly. Good thing the EVO can second as a mirror to see who is sneaking up behind you.
toenail78 said:
girl knows how to write, felt like i was watching a lifetime movie.. uhh, not that ive ever seen one since im a pretty hardcore dude
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a guy, fyi. I'll take that as a compliment, I guess?
it can be in other partitions other than data
i have spyware on my phone AND computer from my ex and of course my phone was rooted so she got it in there DEEEEP in my /dev folder and it is EVERYWHERE. im pretty screwed. time for new phone and computer.. she also managed to get a key logger on my touchscreen phone.. weird huh
If you are like me, you should have all your favorite apps, documents, pictures etc. stored right on your phone that basically gives a full picture of who you are as an individual. You also have been pretty satisfied with the pattern, pin number, password or face unlock or all of these together as a security you have in place to prevent unauthorized access. But here is something that happened by accident that led me down this thought process. While trying to yank out the phone from my pocket while driving (which when you are getting a phone call especially becomes the most impossible task), I noticed that the phone "Power Down", "Restart", "Airplane Mode" pop up was on. This is on top of my regular swipe to unlock with pin number lock screen. This made me curious and noticed that the back button will work to close this pop up and also the power button works to reactivate this pop up. I hope everyone is with me till here. What surprised me was that the phone will actually turn off or restart from this point without the need for an unlock code. This means anyone with rooting and backup knowledge can steal my phone, restart my phone into recovery and wipe it to make the phone their own or just create a backup (CWM) and through that access my personal information. I know that photos and documents stored on the external card is open unless encrypted. But I hoped the internal data would be secure.
What do you guys think about this? Is there any app that would prevent access to the phone while locked via hard keys? What do you do to keep your information safe?
TL;DR version
If phone is stolen and person has knowledge of android they can factory reset your phone, even if you have a password setup. If they enter recovery they can wipe data and factory reset your phone and now it is usable for them.
My theory if you have your phone rooted I wish there was a way to lock the recovery with a password. Unfortunately ODIN will always be available able to get back to stock. Cerberus is a great app to have full control of phone if stolen FYI
DesperateScorpion151 said:
What do you guys think about this? Is there any app that would prevent access to the phone while locked via hard keys? What do you do to keep your information safe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As soon as I realize it is missing I would activate the wipe feature in this software.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lookout&hl=en
If I have your phone in my possession I guarantee I can hack it regardless of any security measure you make take, so the best solution is to be able to wipe it remotely.
technically even a remote wipe is not enough if the thief is knowledgeable. I accidentally wiped flashing in Odin with nand erase checkd and recovered everything that was on it using this
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1994705 so your never completely safe
Exactly my point like everyone else confirms it here. We have advanced so much to a point that even a 9 year old (not that 9 is too young to know computer basics) who is familiar with basics on rooting after reading through forums after forums can get away with stealing a smart phone now a days. At this point the only way I could think of protecting my data (first priority) and then track my phone is if the tracker is incorporated into the boot loader or recovery itself on top of what ever software you have installed in the OS. So if the thief tries to unlock my phone after a restart, the installed software should take care of the rest but If he/she is smart enough to go via boot loader or recovery then the incorporated tracker can do its thing. Anything of that sort exists?
Did you forget you could just pull the battery to get into recovery?
Why do you need to pull the battery?
Aerowinder said:
Why do you need to pull the battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't, but its easier than going through all of the steps OP posted.
I really doubt my data is worth anything. Pictures of my cats aren't exactly hot commodities and I don't store anything on my phone that I wouldn't publicly reveal, anyway.
I wouldn't be worried about my worthless information, just annoyed I was dumb enough to let it get stolen. Yeah, I know that basically anyone with half a brain can wipe a phone and re-sell it - it always amazes me when people think that thieves aren't smart enough to do that.
I'm cynical. Saves a lot of worry since I just expect the worst, I guess.
They get into your email where it may be more info to compromise.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
I would be less worried about the minute possibility of a phone thief targeting your personal information than I would be about your personal data being mined from your phone by numerous applications.
Bottom line is, if you use Google or Facebook, you personal information is already in the hands of giant corporations who will never be held accountable for the theft of your personal info.
Take Facebook for example - within the app, the only time it should ever ping your location is if you are using FB chat and have the location setting enabled. However, even when you disable location within FB chat, every single time you open Facebook it uses your GPS to get your location. Every time.
In addition, although you are unable to see it in action because there is no notification icon for it, I would bet a million bucks it's also pulling your network location if your GPS is off.
Facebook is constantly working in the background - even if you never opened it.
Google? I won't even begin to try and explain the amount of data they are collecting from you. As is T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, ATT, etc. every single second that your phone is on with data enabled.
Should we be concerned with some random thief who knows the ins and outs of Android pulling your data? Sure, we should think about it. But the reality is, if you own a smart phone your information is already out there in the hands of companies who will use it to any end they can in order to turn a profit. Period.
ButWhile I see the pros and cons of different parts involved in using social networks and so forth, one thing we can (at least for now) be certain of is that they won't use your credit card information etc. to make illegal purchases and so forth. I know of a person who routinely used the credit card app to check balance, pay bill etc. and next thing he was getting phone calls to see if the purchases made at a casino in Spain are OK?! This is without ever losing the phone!!. So, it could be worse in the case of phone loss. Sure, personal data, pictures and even email to some extent is not as bothersome to me as identity theft. Thank to some anti-fraud features of the banks etc. one can deny and simply not be associated with that activity (of course in legitamate cases). My friend ended up getting another card with different number and they closed the online banking account. He had to re-register all over with another id. So, it can be a big hassle. I heard of cases where people had to hire lawyers and run around courts to prove their innocence due to identity theft. Of course if you keep a picture of your driving licence on the phone, you are really asking for it so... (trust me, one girl was doing this because she didn't want to carry her purse/wallet on night outs)
Having said that, I am always worried if the roms we download here in XDA have trojans or backdoors built into kernels and system files... I know that it is like doubting even the good devs but how do we know for sure? Unless you are really an in-depth expert and figure out all the details such as processes and ports that are open and so forth, how do you really know? The phone's data icons keep pinging back and forth every now and then and at times I wonder what's being sent and what is it receiving... just sync'ing contacts...or...??
Call me paranoid but, after what happened to my friend, and similar stories, I am a bit skeptical about the security and integrity of the ROMs in the first place... Now, mostly I download and try different roms and settle on one that suits my preferences. I use the phone for calls as well as to make general tasks easier in many aspects except financial transactions. In short, I don't trust my smart phones.
For those of you wondering what Google is tracking, (not by any means the only place to look) login to your gmail account and look around different settings. You'll see web history, phone data to name a few..
I apologize for my English, I'm Brazilian, and they told me to go to XDA to solve my problem.
In this case, I'm using Google Translate.
Hello, I have an S4 Mini, which is behaving in a very strange way and I already tried to make the two solutions that I found, that would be to put the Stock Rom, and the Hard Reset but that did not solve.
The symptoms I have noticed in him so far are:
1 - Battery behaves strangely (Sometimes I turn on and off the battery comes back with another charge). And it gets very fast when I'm using it. But the battery is new.
Android takes actions alone, for example, it is 0% I connect it, it unlocks the screen alone, and opens the native browser the "Internet", and goes to a page that is like a map, and starts to Write random things, like, McFWjham; KAMV.
3- The use of data has remained high when it is active.
4- Sometimes when it is working normally, it opens native programs for no reason, the most common is the "Internet".
So I do not know what else to do, the cell phone is very well preserved, no visible problems, no crumple of drops, the problem is just in time to use kkk. Help me pls.
#Edit :The screen when active uses 40% to 50% of the battery according to Android.
The "Android System" occasionally gets to spend 60% of the battery.
When the battery is locked it tends to remain, but when I use the smartphone, the battery tends to decrease with the second ones very fast.
The battery is new.
Please help me T.T
Luan532 said:
I apologize for my English, I'm Brazilian, and they told me to go to XDA to solve my problem.
In this case, I'm using Google Translate.
Hello, I have an S4 Mini, which is behaving in a very strange way and I already tried to make the two solutions that I found, that would be to put the Stock Rom, and the Hard Reset but that did not solve.
The symptoms I have noticed in him so far are:
1 - Battery behaves strangely (Sometimes I turn on and off the battery comes back with another charge). And it gets very fast when I'm using it. But the battery is new.
Android takes actions alone, for example, it is 0% I connect it, it unlocks the screen alone, and opens the native browser the "Internet", and goes to a page that is like a map, and starts to Write random things, like, McFWjham; KAMV.
3- The use of data has remained high when it is active.
4- Sometimes when it is working normally, it opens native programs for no reason, the most common is the "Internet".
So I do not know what else to do, the cell phone is very well preserved, no visible problems, no crumple of drops, the problem is just in time to use kkk. Help me pls.
#Edit :The screen when active uses 40% to 50% of the battery according to Android.
The "Android System" occasionally gets to spend 60% of the battery.
When the battery is locked it tends to remain, but when I use the smartphone, the battery tends to decrease with the second ones very fast.
The battery is new.
Please help me T.T
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you have a malware infection (though can't be 100% sure) maybe adware, I would guess. Factory reset should have fixed it and reinstall stock rom would definitely fix it even if malware rooted your phone. So that means there is an easy way for reinfect to happen.
Reinfection can happen many ways eg via bad app, through your google account, cloud storage, wifi, other network you have joined etc. Unfortunately it can be very hard to stop if you don't know how it's happening.
1st lets assume it's a bad app you installed, try run a good antivirus like Avast, does it show malware? Clean anything it finds. If you are lucky it will only be adware app that you reinstalled yourself after the new rom, once removed you will be OK and phone clean. But if it comes back by itself then it will take more work to find how it happens.
[Note: You can also boot phone into safe mode which will only allow system apps to run, it is a way to test if it is a bad 3rd party app, is the problem stopped now 3rd party apps can't run?. (though if your phone has been rooted by malware and bad app installed as system app, then bad app will still run). If you think it might have been rooted, download a root checker app to test]
Change the software.
IronRoo said:
Sounds like you have a malware infection (though can't be 100% sure) maybe adware, I would guess. Factory reset should have fixed it and reinstall stock rom would definitely fix it even if malware rooted your phone. So that means there is an easy way for reinfect to happen.
Reinfection can happen many ways eg via bad app, through your google account, cloud storage, wifi, other network you have joined etc. Unfortunately it can be very hard to stop if you don't know how it's happening.
1st lets assume it's a bad app you installed, try run a good antivirus like Avast, does it show malware? Clean anything it finds. If you are lucky it will only be adware app that you reinstalled yourself after the new rom, once removed you will be OK and phone clean. But if it comes back by itself then it will take more work to find how it happens.
[Note: You can also boot phone into safe mode which will only allow system apps to run, it is a way to test if it is a bad 3rd party app, is the problem stopped now 3rd party apps can't run?. (though if your phone has been rooted by malware and bad app installed as system app, then bad app will still run). If you think it might have been rooted, download a root checker app to test]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have avast installed, and cleaned, but not changed at all.
My device was already rooted by me, when I gave the hard reset and soon after the exchange of the rom stock, the root was undone,
I installed Root Checker and it said root was not properly installed.
And as for the security mode, I turned the phone on in safe mode, and when the screen was unlocked, it automatically opened the "internet" browser, on the same page as always.
What should I do?
Luan532 said:
I have avast installed, and cleaned, but not changed at all.
My device was already rooted by me, when I gave the hard reset and soon after the exchange of the rom stock, the root was undone,
I installed Root Checker and it said root was not properly installed.
And as for the security mode, I turned the phone on in safe mode, and when the screen was unlocked, it automatically opened the "internet" browser, on the same page as always.
What should I do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ummm .... I was expecting it was just going to be a bad app serving ads, this is going to be hard
OK, that should rule out 3rd party apps (assuming you have avast set to find all PUP/PUA, etc & nothing white listed) but not finding anything may mean malware is embeded in ROM or malware was able to open port on your system but then uninstall itself or just that there is a line of code that points browser to a server that is serving adware so antivirus is not finding it. Some malware is able to hide from anti virus software in different ways. Try this app, it is not true antivirus, you run it manually, don't worry if one or two antivirus companies like white armour identify malware, they do often even on clean phone.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.funnycat.virustotal
You can also submit any unknown app to virus total white this app for testing. Also you must submit the bad url your browser is connecting to for testing, this will help it spread to all anti virus database.
Good news is you do not appear to be rooted. But the ROM you flashed may still be bad. Where did you get the stock ROM you flashed? I would only use a trusted source like sammobile.com/ but even that is no guarantee. You could try flash another ROM, though as this happened on previous ROM it's probably a good ROM, unless you are getting all your ROM from same site that is not well known as trusted.
So that would suggest they are able to get easy access to your phone either via your google account, cloud service, local network at home/work/public, or through your modem/router.
Check your local network doesn't have a neighbour or other unknown device connected with this app Fing
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.overlook.android.fing
Of course even if you recognise all devices that doesn't mean your brothers etc phone is not the source.
Do the same with other networks you have access to.. Talk to work, any one else infected? Change you password. If using public wifi always use a vpn.
Likely source is your modem/router, Log into your modem router check for updates for it, (if old and not supported you may need a new one), update or if latest firmware do a factory reset, now reboot and use a new password (do this at the same time you reset ALL your passwords, or you might just allow them to find new passwords and reinfect you)
Check your goggle account does not have someone else set for account recovery and/or two factor authentication. (set it up if not already on) Change password and ALSO change password on any other recovery account (write them down )
do the same for cloud storage, and scan storage for virus if possible eg dropbox local folder on pc. Unlink cloud storage from mobile until you are clean to block this route of reinfection.
Update any other device software & change passwords eg xbox, printers etc
I think there's something I'm forgetting
Now reflash stock ROM ( I would also suggest then flashing an up to date custom ROM with most recent security patches)
Things you can do that may help temporarily .....
Install a firewall app like netguard and block internet access to browser, through may not work as root etc is open by default. Oh yes, that reminds me of one thing I forgot, check your DNS has not been hijacked, netguard shows dns url in settings, change if you cannot find who dns server your phone is using, use google 8.8.8.8 & 8.8.4.4 if you don't know what to set.
Use an app like Link2SD, Titanium Pro to freeze apps, but you will need root for this.
It's a lot of work (& I think there is something I am forgetting), you may get away with just factory resetting your modem or something as it appears to just be adware so they probably don't have access to your accounts etc, but I tried to cover everything.
Hope I'm making sense through goggle translate!
Phone with mind of its own may not be hacked or haunted. It can in fact happen when it's exposed to moisture or water. Try putting the phone in a bag of rice for several hours, this will draw out all moisture. Hairdrayer may damage electronics because overheating.
If hacked, I would do following steps:
- modem update with odin (manuals search XDA)
- update latest TWRP (dito on XDA)
- start phone in Recovery mode and wipe everything, also Format Data on SD and external SD. Simple Factory reset my not delete it (use Advaced wipe)
- Install LOS14.1 from arco (check compatibility first, other version available for double SIM) It comes with latest security patches.
- Install Open GApps nano or pico. Install other Gapps later if you need.
- start phone, skip setting for WLan to see if everything works without Network.
Does it work? ...then an open WLan could be hacked, try a secure first or mobile network.
Good luck
Hello guys!
The battery drop problem is a common failure with this i9195 phone. I did a research but you have to help me as well by providing IMEI S/N (located under the battery) in PM to me!
New battery doesn't helps!
My current research: If your phone made in Vietnam in the 1-line ~2013, then you will have a dead motherboard soon, before that battery issue is occuring.
So please give me your details and I will look after it.
Do anyone know when they stopped producing i9195 and i9195i ? I need to buy the latest version, because my i9195 was made in 2013 and have that battery drain issue even with new batteries...
Thanks.
Can anyone help me carrier unlock my Verizon phone? My phone has been hacked and I hope being able to flash it will help me to get rid of whatever they have done to it. Can anyone tell me why I get this message when I reset my phone? Any help would be greatly appreciated
there is no carrier unlock for VZW models. if you can boot into recovery, sideload the OTA version that was last on your device.
What did you do that resulted in the phone being hacked? With the sectors being wiped that are shown in the images, it looks like you have provided total device access to something whilst having an unlocked bootloader or something similar. If you let us know what happened, it might help us to figure out what options you may still have.
But definitely see if you can do what @uicnren mentioned first.
Im not sure who or how they wiped anything. It happened one day after connecting to my girlfriends wifi. I got ahold of Verizon and they sent me a new phone and as soon as I started it the same thing happened to it also
How do I find what OTA version was used on my phone?
Nothing hacked here... this is an error when wiping the Secure Element (the trusted secure module).
(https://android-review.linaro.org/p...cure_element/1.0/SecureElementHalCallback.cpp line #66)
Are you initiating the wipe from the recovery? If so, that's likely the reason. If there is an account attached to the device, a wipe must first be initiated from within Android (Settings)
Woodruff87 said:
Im not sure who or how they wiped anything. It happened one day after connecting to my girlfriends wifi. I got ahold of Verizon and they sent me a new phone and as soon as I started it the same thing happened to it also
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what symptoms were you seeing that made you think you were hacked?
Those errors are normal in Recovery Mode. I see them all the time, sometimes they don't appear, usually they do.
Did you remove your google accounts from settings, do a factory reset from the reset menu and lastly in recovery mode where you posted the screenshots from.
Your Account might be hacked but the phone is unlikely hacked. You would get a message at boot telling you that the device has been modified. With a locked bootloader its extremely unlikely (unless NSO Group is targeting you).
Woodruff87 said:
Can anyone help me carrier unlock my Verizon phone? My phone has been hacked and I hope being able to flash it will help me to get rid of whatever they have done to it. Can anyone tell me why I get this message when I reset my phone? Any help would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you unlock the bootloader? Have custom firmware/kernel installed?
A "hacker" wins nothing by resetting/wiping your phone. They want data, and that only works if the phone can turn on and works. This looks like a wipe/factory reset gone wrong, which spells user error or software error and less likely a "hacker" attack. Most hacks you will never notice. A hacker that makes you notice that something went wrong, is either an amateur or did it on purpose. Ergo, he wants you to know that something went wrong, which usually only happens in order to extort you. If there is no extortion, then an obvious act by a hacker is highly unlikely.
We need some more information. What firmware had you installed? What happened exactly when. Did you install any new apps recently? What did you do prior to something going wrong? All the information that could help us troubleshoot your issue.
You said your phone wiped itself a day after connecting to your girlfriends wifi, and that a replacement device that you got sent by your carrier, did the same. Did you check your Google account? Do you have two factor authentication activated? It sounds like your phone got wiped over wifi, which would require access to your Google account. It's just odd that you get errors, which normally shouldn't happen if someone would use the erase a lost Android device function.
It's also possible that your backup from your GAccount is simply corrupted (many people had issues with random reboots). You should try and set up your (replacement) phone anew without any backup, maybe that can fix your issue.
Beyond that Google account thing-y, anything else is highly unlikely. Even specialized companies have serious issues getting into a modern smartphone, lest alone an Android 12 phone with a Google Server grade Titan m2 chip. The newer the firmware, the less likely the chance that someone from the outside could get in, especially with a phone like a Pixel that isn't very common. Most security firms/govermental agencies can only abuse older, known security loopholes. It's more likely that very popular phones like a Samsung or IPhone are targets from "the bad guys", since there will be bigger payoff for breaking the security of those phones, since there is a greater pool of users to target. Most hacks I've witnessed weren't random, they were targeted. Ask yourself: Am I worth the trouble of getting hacked? Do you have anything of interest on your phone that would warrant an excessive use of resources? Managing to hack a Pixel is not only unlikely in terms of the security you need to breach, but also in terms of the potential payoff in relation to the necessary knowhow and resources. It's just "not worth it".
What you should do immediately, just in case, is secure your Google account. Change your password. Maybe even change your two-factor authentication, if you have one (sms is not secure, use a token generating software/device). Change the wifi password from your girlfriend and check the list of connected devices. make a list of these connected devices + history (find that in the rooter software) and check them against the devices you know of. Also check the list of connected devices to your GAccount. Use the option to log out ALL devices from your Google account, so only your device is connected.
Do any other people have access to your phone? Do any other people know your passwords? Does your girlfriend has access? Do any other people have biometric security saved on your phone? Do you trust your girlfriend completely?
Make sure you use a special, new password for your GAccount, never reuse old ones that you have used somewhere else. Also check your emails on https://haveibeenpwned.com/
Beyond that, if you are not doing already, use a password manager.
Woodruff87 said:
Im not sure who or how they wiped anything. It happened one day after connecting to my girlfriends wifi. I got ahold of Verizon and they sent me a new phone and as soon as I started it the same thing happened to it also
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait a sec. Verizon sent you a new (refurbished probably but new nonetheless) phone and when you turned it on weren't you greeted with the startup menu? Am I missing something?
Morgrain said:
Did you unlock the bootloader? Have custom firmware/kernel installed?
A "hacker" wins nothing by resetting/wiping your phone. They want data, and that only works if the phone can turn on and works. This looks like a wipe/factory reset gone wrong, which spells user error or software error and less likely a "hacker" attack. Most hacks you will never notice. A hacker that makes you notice that something went wrong, is either an amateur or did it on purpose. Ergo, he wants you to know that something went wrong, which usually only happens in order to extort you. If there is no extortion, then an obvious act by a hacker is highly unlikely.
We need some more information. What firmware had you installed? What happened exactly when. Did you install any new apps recently? What did you do prior to something going wrong? All the information that could help us troubleshoot your issue.
You said your phone wiped itself a day after connecting to your girlfriends wifi, and that a replacement device that you got sent by your carrier, did the same. Did you check your Google account? Do you have two factor authentication activated? It sounds like your phone got wiped over wifi, which would require access to your Google account. It's just odd that you get errors, which normally shouldn't happen if someone would use the erase a lost Android device function.
It's also possible that your backup from your GAccount is simply corrupted (many people had issues with random reboots). You should try and set up your (replacement) phone anew without any backup, maybe that can fix your issue.
Beyond that Google account thing-y, anything else is highly unlikely. Even specialized companies have serious issues getting into a modern smartphone, lest alone an Android 12 phone with a Google Server grade Titan m2 chip. The newer the firmware, the less likely the chance that someone from the outside could get in, especially with a phone like a Pixel that isn't very common. Most security firms/govermental agencies can only abuse older, known security loopholes. It's more likely that very popular phones like a Samsung or IPhone are targets from "the bad guys", since there will be bigger payoff for breaking the security of those phones, since there is a greater pool of users to target. Most hacks I've witnessed weren't random, they were targeted. Ask yourself: Am I worth the trouble of getting hacked? Do you have anything of interest on your phone that would warrant an excessive use of resources? Managing to hack a Pixel is not only unlikely in terms of the security you need to breach, but also in terms of the potential payoff in relation to the necessary knowhow and resources. It's just "not worth it".
What you should do immediately, just in case, is secure your Google account. Change your password. Maybe even change your two-factor authentication, if you have one (sms is not secure, use a token generating software/device). Change the wifi password from your girlfriend and check the list of connected devices. make a list of these connected devices + history (find that in the rooter software) and check them against the devices you know of. Also check the list of connected devices to your GAccount. Use the option to log out ALL devices from your Google account, so only your device is connected.
Do any other people have access to your phone? Do any other people know your passwords? Does your girlfriend has access? Do any other people have biometric security saved on your phone? Do you trust your girlfriend completely?
Make sure you use a special, new password for your GAccount, never reuse old ones that you have used somewhere else. Also check your emails on https://haveibeenpwned.com/
Beyond that, if you are not doing already, use a password manager.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I really appreciate the help and all the advice. I checked https://haveibeenpwned.com/ and my account has been pawned in 1 data breach... I will deactivate the Google account and start over fresh. Thanks again for all the info
bencozzy said:
Two things are they refurbished? And do they work without signing into google?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The first one was new, but the one I got from Google as a replacement was refurbished. Ill try resetting through the settings and deactivating all my accounts.
Woodruff87 said:
Thanks I really appreciate the help and all the advice. I checked https://haveibeenpwned.com/ and my account has been pawned in 1 data breach... I will deactivate the Google account and start over fresh. Thanks again for all the info
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This, among many other things, is one of the reasons I use GrapheneOS and NO gooble services (despite all the attention they give to sandboxed gooble services).
Woodruff87 said:
Thanks I really appreciate the help and all the advice. I checked https://haveibeenpwned.com/ and my account has been pawned in 1 data breach... I will deactivate the Google account and start over fresh. Thanks again for all the info
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
your google address was found on that site for another service and you used the same password for both services, correct?
despite what some believe, your google account will not get hacked unless your password is insecure (ie. leaked or insufficient with 2FA). anything less and your asking for trouble (also using GrapheneOS).
Our family took the technically free at&t deal to switch to the galaxy s22 phone (256 GB model) by trading in our galaxy s7 phones, and I've been tinkering with the settings, turning a whole host of stuff off because forget auto-installing apps and whatnot, but when I was copying my old phone's pictures over manually (forgot about smart switch, sue me [but don't pls]), the process slowed down very much. Every 15 seconds or so, my windows would give the Asterisk sound, but the green progress bar wouldn't make it past the 1% mark, and when trying to close the file window on my desktop, it'd take the same 15 seconds time to do so, and to stop this I had to unplug the phone from my desktop. Then I had to upload everything to dropbox and download it through the app onto my phone just to export it that way.
Since im still making sense of the phone, is there a concrete reason behind this slowdown, some phone setting or whatnot, because i uninstalled/reinstalled the Samsung USB Phone/Device Drivers from the software downloads portion of samsung, and there's no speed increase. My galaxy s7 was faster, so unless this is a quirk of the firmware itself or something else....idk, help pls?
One or more of the files may be corrupted.
I ran into this the other day on my N10+ going from SD card to a OTG flashstick with a 50gb folder with more than a dozen subfolders and 20 loose media files. It kept crashing on the last 2 or 3gb. I tried copying a couple different ways, nothing worked until I discovered a corrupted avi file and deleted it.
Copied it straight up.
Find the root cause, it could be malware that inadvertently got downloaded. This includes jpegs.
I doubt its malware, all the pictures I did were from the default camera app on my old phone, and I figure if I did it through smart switch it wouldn't have any problems, but ill look through my pictures, delete some, maybe put mcafee livesafe on there and run a few scans to see if it picks up anything before I uninstall it (seriously, the app is a resource hog no matter what hardware its on, mobile or not). ill make another reply if I find some kind of resolutiuon and result(s)
LodeUnknown said:
I doubt its malware, all the pictures I did were from the default camera app on my old phone, and I figure if I did it through smart switch it wouldn't have any problems, but ill look through my pictures, delete some, maybe put mcafee livesafe on there and run a few scans to see if it picks up anything before I uninstall it (seriously, the app is a resource hog no matter what hardware its on, mobile or not). ill make another reply if I find some kind of resolutiuon and result(s)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never use SmartSwitch to backup critical data especially media. Never clone media files ie music databases. Never password protect backups. Keep it rock stupid simple.
Copy/paste then compare size, and folder/file count. Inspect at least some of the data for readability.
Malware is always possible. The scripted jpegs on Android tend to only effect the folder they're in. Was that avi file I found malware? Who knows? I don't care as I just delete it and move on unless it raises its ugly head again. The point is I found the cause and removed it.
The scripted Android jpeg I encountered did it's thing when opened. It damaged many loose files but no files that where in folders. Some files I repaired, the rest I deleted. The malware jpeg I deleted first though and it was only by cause and effect that I found it. Fortunately it was the download folder so it's reign of terror was brief; had that been a large database it could turn into a digital blood bath.
All downloads go to the download folder and stay there until vetted. Check all files by opening them there before moving them elsewhere. Delete any unknown ones without opening. Any file that is in doubt especially apks, executables scan with online Virustotal.
Keep email in the cloud ie Gmail.
I'm running on Pie but haven't had any malware damage in over 2 years and it's in part because of how I handle all downloads... carefully.
I did mine manually, I never touched smart switch for my phone, but I did a scan with the mcafee security app on my phone, and it didnt find anything sketchy on there, used the at&t mobile security app that was on there before I uninstalled it (adb is da best :3 ) and it didnt find anything hinky. I scanned the manual backups of my pictures on my desktop with mcafee livesafe and superantispyware and neither of them found anything bad, unless i should use more scan programs, but whether its on my phone or desktop, I think I got enough, anymore and im just hoarding antivirus programs, and I don't wanna do that
LodeUnknown said:
I did mine manually, I never touched smart switch for my phone, but I did a scan with the mcafee security app on my phone, and it didnt find anything sketchy on there, used the at&t mobile security app that was on there before I uninstalled it (adb is da best :3 ) and it didnt find anything hinky. I scanned the manual backups of my pictures on my desktop with mcafee livesafe and superantispyware and neither of them found anything bad, unless i should use more scan programs, but whether its on my phone or desktop, I think I got enough, anymore and im just hoarding antivirus programs, and I don't wanna do that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Over the years I found 2 scripted jpegs that were found by observing what happened when they were opened. There's no guarantee malware will be detected.
I ran a Malwarebytes scan occasionally. It found a trojan preloader I missed in the download folder, which I police daily now. This one downloaded itself, it slipped through the Samsung browser in spite of settings.
On Android antivirus is a waste of resources. Most victims install or download the malware themselves.
However anytime Android behaves strangely malware should be considered a possibility.
No idea how that file that screwed up my transfer got corrupted or if it was malware.
It acted like malware, regardless, deleting it fixed the issue. It took some time to track it down. Point being when you see odd behavior you don't ignore it, you find the root cause.
I think I fixed it somehow? I searched for reset in the settings and found reset network settings, reset accessibility settings, and reset all settings, so I chose reset all settings after backing up my current settings. After my phone restarted, I plugged in my phone and tried copying a 500MB sized file to my internal storage, and despite it taking a full minute, it actually finished without the problems I had before. Granted, now it seems only for the one file I just did, because after I tried one file and tried to do another, it stopped about halfway into copying a 400MB range file and gave me the same problems again. ffs fml
hopefully this is my last post (I swear if it isnt im tearing up the cable I got), because after trying multiple cables we got and different usb ports, I think I identified the culprit(s): my USB-C cable (the one I use to charge it) and my desktop's front-facing USB ports.
My desktop is an XPS 8700, and its taken on some age and some injuries due to power surges and what not, most of all the front-facing USB ports are wiggly as all hell, and occasionally choose which cables to like and which to not like. So I took the cable I usually use to charge it with and plugged it into a different usb port and tried copying over a set of files totaling 1GB+change to the internal storage, lo and behold, it copied over and no stopping halfway and cancelling the transfer because of it. Then I tried another USB-C cable we got (from a different piece of hardware) and used it on my front-usb ports, did the same thing again, 100% completion like the others did
The end result is my desktop being an ornery POS as usual and choosing which USB port likes which USB cable no matter how good I take care of both pieces of hardware. In the end, ill probably be getting a few more cables for our three phones and keep the cable I usually use with it for a different piece of hardware. This was one rabbit hole of a goose chase