[Pearl9100]

So there is video surfacing now of a pb being rooted using what will be called the Dingleberry Tool. What do you guys think about it?

Me personally, I think it is a terrible thing. Rim prides itself on being the gold standard of security. I am very confident that Rim will patch up the exploit once the Dingleberry tool is released, but this still rattled my confidence in the pb and bbx security.

[blackjack93117]

I think someone should explain what it is exactly- for general consumption.

[llamax]

It's a definite good thing. We get fun new tools, albeit potentially for only the time between patches, and RIM gains visibility into an open vulnerability. Win-win.

[timekeeper]

I'm more interested in whether the bootloader or equivalent is signed or locked. It's very far fetched, but android ports anyone?!

[vgwillm]

Not my thing but each their own. I don't have a need for it since I don't hack or program.

If I tried to boot mine then I would most likelyend up with a dead bricked Playbook.

[Roscopcoletrain]

Not my thing but each their own. I don't have a need for it since I don't hack or program.

If I tried to boot mine then I would most likelyend up with a dead bricked Playbook.

Its not even about hacking or programming.

It can be as simple as using the charging LED like shown in the video. Having root may allow you to install a twitter app that uses the charge LED for notifications.

[peter9477]

I think someone should explain what it is exactly- for general consumption.

Um, dingleberries are NOT for generation consumption!

This basically should give people unrestricted access to most of the files on the system, letting them explore and learn. The more technical types will probably spend some time experimenting with things they haven't had access to yet, and the craziest ones will be seen jury-rigging various unlikely things to work, similar to the DOSBox stuff bug probably more unexpected and novel. Good for getting attention as having done a "cool hack".

The bootloader is almost certainly still fully secured, and it seems unlikely that RIM will be unable to patch the problem. That could mean that once the next update comes out, it will basically overwrite the hack and remove it from the system, simultaneously plugging the hole to prevent the same technique from being used to restore root access. In that case you could, of course, simply not apply the update, but I think given the choice between a hacked 1.0.8 or 2.0 beta device, and a non-hacked unit with the 2.0 release on it, I know which most people are going to choose.

It's also possible they'll have found a way to let the hack actually survive even an update which has changes focused on plugging the hole. If so, kudos to them for a pretty slick move. Time will tell.

[rcheung135]

Meh.

I liked how some poster pointed out that it took much less time to root a PB than a BlackBerry

[bpdude]

This is exciting. It can open a whole new world for the end user and developers. You may be able to do a whole lot more with your playbook (without appworld). If it can be made as easy as jailbreaking apple it will be AWWWWWwwwwwSOMMMMMmmmme. No more waiting on rim. Yipppeee

Keeping my fingers crossed.

[morfy50]

This is exciting. It can open a whole new world for the end user and developers. You may be able to do a whole lot more with your playbook (without appworld). If it can be made as easy as jailbreaking apple it will be AWWWWWwwwwwSOMMMMMmmmme. No more waiting on rim. Yipppeee

Keeping my fingers crossed.

Agreed!!! Thank the Lord someone is breathing life into the Playbook, because RIM sure isn't.

[majorusa]

It is not exciting. It opens a back door to hackers and identity thiefs and it encourages piracy.

[bpdude]

I am totally stoked now!

[Megacharge]

I'm not a QNX know it all but IIRC QNX OS is not a single big kernel like Windows where once you hack it you have access to pretty much everything, but is many small Kernels doing different things for the whole. Basically what I think they have accomplished with root is access to the boot-loader and "non-secure" parts of the OS. I don't think they have access to the most secure parts of the OS where encrypted data or core parts of the OS could be hacked or manipulated. At least that's how I understand it at this point.

So while it's been rooted, from my understanding, "which could be wrong of course" it hasn't been hacked to any degree of danger to the most important and secure kernels of the OS.

[bpdude]

It is not exciting. It opens a back door to hackers and identity thiefs and it encourages piracy.

It is very exciting!!!! Piracy ? Good grief man. It will open up soooo much more with this thing.

[bpdude]

Um, dingleberries are NOT for generation consumption!

This basically should give people unrestricted access to most of the files on the system, letting them explore and learn. The more technical types will probably spend some time experimenting with things they haven't had access to yet, and the craziest ones will be seen jury-rigging various unlikely things to work, similar to the DOSBox stuff bug probably more unexpected and novel. Good for getting attention as having done a "cool hack".

The bootloader is almost certainly still fully secured, and it seems unlikely that RIM will be unable to patch the problem. That could mean that once the next update comes out, it will basically overwrite the hack and remove it from the system, simultaneously plugging the hole to prevent the same technique from being used to restore root access. In that case you could, of course, simply not apply the update, but I think given the choice between a hacked 1.0.8 or 2.0 beta device, and a non-hacked unit with the 2.0 release on it, I know which most people are going to choose.

It's also possible they'll have found a way to let the hack actually survive even an update which has changes focused on plugging the hole. If so, kudos to them for a pretty slick move. Time will tell.

Well cydia has worked fabulous on my i(unmentionable). I hope it works out like that.
With each update to ios there is a new version of cydia. We shall see.

[shootsscores]

I'm not a QNX know it all but IIRC QNX OS is not a single big kernel like Windows where once you hack it you have access to pretty much everything, but is many small Kernels doing different things for the whole. Basically what I think they have accomplished with root is access to the boot-loader and "non-secure" parts of the OS. I don't think they have access to the most secure parts of the OS where encrypted data or core parts of the OS could be hacked or manipulated. At least that's how I understand it at this point.

So while it's been rooted, from my understanding, "which could be wrong of course" it hasn't been hacked to any degree of danger to the most important and secure kernels of the OS.

QNX has a single microkernel. Processes run self contained. The some processes may be programmed to interact with others with this being done according to a priority stack but a root would probably only have limited access to the microkernel and no access at all to any other process or processes. There is a reason critical systems like nuke plants use QNX. We've never had a QNX expert post to this forum. I would love it if they would.

[alnamvet68]

If you mean by "rooting" jailbreaking, then I have no use for it. To me, it's like downloading the Beta OS, and then have over a thousand posts devoted to your missing icons, or the wi-fi blows, or my keyboard doesn't clic, or I can't synch with DM, etc, etc, ad nauseum. Jailbreaking iPhones and iPads is chronic in the Apple community, and glancing over the posts of the moans and groans of how their iPads or iPhones now don't function right, or they can't get the lates iOS without losing their jailbreak, or I'm under the extended warranty with replacement plan and the Apple store told me to take a very long walk off a short pier because my busted phone is jailbroken, etc, etc, etc, ad nauseum.....

So, what do I think, not much at all....rooting is for pigs looking for truffles.

[ayekon]

Calling the sideloading of DOSBox a bug is ummm......

I love that it got rooted because due to QNX's nature, everything is still secure...

Someone please use this opportunity to create a dock... Would be perfect for my poor little 64gb PB of love...

[Megacharge]

QNX has a single microkernel. Processes run self contained. The some processes may be programmed to interact with others with this being done according to a priority stack but a root would probably only have limited access to the microkernel and no access at all to any other process or processes. There is a reason critical systems like nuke plants use QNX. We've never had a QNX expert post to this forum. I would love it if they would.

Thanks for explaining it properly and better than I could. That's what I was trying to convey that while they have root, it has only limited access to the micro kernel and nothing of importance has been compromised, so there is no need for anyone to worry. We will have root, maybe even dual boot QNX and Android, all while QNX is still maintaining it's superior security.

This basically is a win win for everyone.

[bpdude]

If you mean by "rooting" jailbreaking, then I have no use for it. To me, it's like downloading the Beta OS, and then have over a thousand posts devoted to your missing icons, or the wi-fi blows, or my keyboard doesn't clic, or I can't synch with DM, etc, etc, ad nauseum. Jailbreaking iPhones and iPads is chronic in the Apple community, and glancing over the posts of the moans and groans of how their iPads or iPhones now don't function right, or they can't get the lates iOS without losing their jailbreak, or I'm under the extended warranty with replacement plan and the Apple store told me to take a very long walk off a short pier because my busted phone is jailbroken, etc, etc, etc, ad nauseum.....

So, what do I think, not much at all....rooting is for pigs looking for truffles.

Well I am sorry you have all those issues, I've had zip. So oink oink bring on the truffles!

[shootsscores]

Well I am sorry you have all those issues, I've had zip. So oink oink bring on the truffles!

It often comes down to OEM and the ramifications of customizations like in car forums.

[bpdude]

It often comes down to OEM and the ramifications of customizations like in car forums.

Agreed. Who hasn't hacked or modified something? Its not without some element of risk .

[snowindec9]

rooting don't care.os.2.0 care.android apps nice luxury.

[Pearl9100]

The risk of rooting out weights the benefits because it is very easy to brick devices, which causes headaches.

As of right now, having root access doesn't really do much...except give you a blue led notification light.

[balth]

It is not exciting. It opens a back door to hackers and identity thiefs and it encourages piracy.

How does having admin rights encourage piracy? The playbook has NO app security, piracy needs no encouragement when the system is wide open for abuse. Also hackers and identity thieves do not need access to your device, in fact it's so much easier not to have it. Root is nothing to do with either the type of hacking you mean or piracy. To me, it's about having control over the computer i bought *shrug* Each to his own i suppose. I want to control frequency scaling and install gnu apps (a compiler would be nice ) and change the hosts file!!! (i *really* want to do this).

I'm sure rim will patch this though and if its a choice of staying on .08 or updating to 2 and losing root, im not sure what i'd choose. I don't need native pim stuff, so thats no big draw for me and everything works right now. We'll see i suppose