Google Seals Up Android ‘Jailbreak’ in Automatic Update



It only took Google about three days to recognize, examine and fix the vulnerability that allowed Android phones to be ‘jailbroken’, and users should see the fix (update RC30) pushed to their phones via an over the air update during the next few days.

…At present, very little. The so-called ‘jailbreak’ was of a completely different nature than the app-enabling hack that iPhone users are now so accustomed to. The technique was a telnet trick that allowed for easy root access to the operating system, so the reality of the situation is less like a ‘jailbreak’ in the iPhone sense, and more like finding the administrative password on a desktop Linux system.
The exploit did provide more access to the the Android’s core functions, some of which could be useful for app development and porting to other phones, but it also exposed a gaping vulnerability that would be immediately shut on any other Linux distribution. Google’s patch is most accurately characterized as a security fix, not a party poop….

Continued here:
Google Seals Up Android ‘Jailbreak’ in Automatic Update

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