Motorola's eFuse Security System Bricks Hacked Android Phones
If you rushed out to buy the Droid X today, you may want to hold off on trying to root it.
July 15 marks the release of Motorola's Droid X smartphone on Verizon, a device plenty of reviews have recommended for its large screen and impressive performance and decried for its battery life and lack of a front-facing camera. But for you fandroids out there itching to get your hands on the newest offering, buyer beware: it comes with anti-tampering security.
If you try to hack, root, jailbreak or modify any of the internal components, Motorla's eFuse security technology will corrupt the boot process, effectively bricking your phone. That's right, if you try to modify the Android operating system, you will be the owner of a fancy US$ 200 paperweight. According to a poster at mydroidworld.com, here's how:
"If the eFuse failes to verify this information then the eFuse receives a command to “blow the fuse” or “trip the fuse”. This results in the booting process becoming corrupted and resulting in a permanent bricking of the Phone. This FailSafe is activated anytime the bootloader is tampered with or any of the above three parts of the phone has been tampered with."
The security measure essentially flies in the face of the open platform the phone was built upon. It leaves the user at the mercy of the OEM, in terms of software updates and guts many of the customization options hardcore Android users have grown accustomed to.
For regular consumers, eFuse shouldn't be an issue, barring some catastrophic malfunction. But power users may want to look elsewhere.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.
-
SUSE Offers CentOS 7 Support with Liberty Linux Lite
SUSE's Liberty Linux support offering now includes CentOS 7, which means businesses won't be forced to migrate those servers for some time.
-
Ubuntu's App Center Finally Supports Local Installs Again
If you regularly download .deb files and would prefer a GUI method of installing, Ubuntu has your back.
sick of this assumptions
i found the story about the BRICK CHIP on some APPLE FANPAGE
first... now everyone goin nutz !.... lets have the facts please //
droid is dead.