[idhbar]

Keeping unrooted does not ensure that you are safe. I think rooting is the best choice to take control instead of remain as slave. After all security is in your hands.

[D.Vader]

BlackBerry was careful not to say that the Priv can't be rooted. They just said it would be difficult.

Wouldn't a rooted BlackBerry Priv ignore the hardware level cryptographic keys?

[D.Vader]

Keeping unrooted does not ensure that you are safe. I think rooting is the best choice to take control instead of remain as slave. After all security is in your hands.

So Johnn Random App Developer (from God knows where) will be a better source for security than BlackBerry?

[conite]

Wouldn't a rooted BlackBerry Priv ignore the hardware level cryptographic keys?

Depends on how deep the root goes.

Personally, I don't think root will happen. BlackBerry just didn't want to make the target any bigger by making any bold pronouncements.

[MrEvets]

From what I know i am going to say there is no way to separate the two even with root. The device is a chip and all data has to run through it before it goes to storage, and all data leaving it has to go through this chip before it can be read. Remember by default this device is encrypted at rest. This secure chip is ROM it cannot be changed how it function and it really only does a few basic things and does them really well. Part of that is checking the secure boot chain from what I read to make sure things were signed. I could be wrong and the boot chain is separate from the crypto chip, but this is hardware done right..

[cribble2k]

I don't think Google play services behaves differently on BlackBerry priv.priv can't stop the data mining that google does.

Sure. But with Priv, you have Google and BlackBerry mining your data.

Don't believe me? Compare Google Services permissions to BlackBerry Launcher and BlackBerry Services. You'd be surprised.

Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android

[syllopsium]

You do realise that DTEK is useless, and the lack of rooting is a hindrance to fixing this? Fine, BB have an app that shows what permissions are being used, but they won't either block or spoof those permissions. XPrivacy will, for instance, mostly do exactly that - but it needs root.

Unlocking the bootloader is a separate issue, so that a third party ROM can be loaded. Running the manufacturer provided ROM is great - provided it's well supported. At the point where support has been dropped (which in some cases has been as little as 18 months, and even Google doesn't support its devices for more than four years) the options are either to run a third party ROM, or buy a new phone. If you're wise, and your phone hardware is still capable, why would you not do that instead of wasting money?

It's also possible to run an Android phone with no Google components - using the F-Droid software repository. Of course, that way the number of available apps is drastically reduced, and the standard set of useful Google Apps (Maps, etc) is not available.

My Xperia Pro Android phone has had a lifetime of at least a year and a half longer than it would have done if I stuck to the manufacturer support. Companies cannot be trusted to support their devices for a reasonable period. Then again, at least in the UK, they have a vested interest in tying people to a two year contract - which often costs the buyer more than purchasing the handset outright and a SIM. After the two years are up, they don't want customers using an old phone, they want a new phone/carrier contract.

All this doesn't stop me wanting to try out a Passport, incidentally. It's the moribund nature of BBOS10, if I can get over the fact that running Android 4.3 apps via Snap/marketplace is still fundamentally slurping my data, and I might need to sell it on in a bit at an approximate loss of up to a hundred quid.. I like the idea of a PKB, the hub, and Blend.

[dvarnai]

You do realise that DTEK is useless, and the lack of rooting is a hindrance to fixing this? Fine, BB have an app that shows what permissions are being used, but they won't either block or spoof those permissions. XPrivacy will, for instance, mostly do exactly that - but it needs root.

Unlocking the bootloader is a separate issue, so that a third party ROM can be loaded. Running the manufacturer provided ROM is great - provided it's well supported. At the point where support has been dropped (which in some cases has been as little as 18 months, and even Google doesn't support its devices for more than four years) the options are either to run a third party ROM, or buy a new phone. If you're wise, and your phone hardware is still capable, why would you not do that instead of wasting money?

It's also possible to run an Android phone with no Google components - using the F-Droid software repository. Of course, that way the number of available apps is drastically reduced, and the standard set of useful Google Apps (Maps, etc) is not available.

My Xperia Pro Android phone has had a lifetime of at least a year and a half longer than it would have done if I stuck to the manufacturer support. Companies cannot be trusted to support their devices for a reasonable period. Then again, at least in the UK, they have a vested interest in tying people to a two year contract - which often costs the buyer more than purchasing the handset outright and a SIM. After the two years are up, they don't want customers using an old phone, they want a new phone/carrier contract.

All this doesn't stop me wanting to try out a Passport, incidentally. It's the moribund nature of BBOS10, if I can get over the fact that running Android 4.3 apps via Snap/marketplace is still fundamentally slurping my data, and I might need to sell it on in a bit at an approximate loss of up to a hundred quid.. I like the idea of a PKB, the hub, and Blend.

Lol, how's four years reasonable, are you serious?

[anon(2325196)]

"What needs to be done to root the Priv is already known, and has been since Nov. 6 over at XDA. What is not known is the how." WHAT?

Buddy Guy 1:
- 'Hey guys, I know what to do to root the PRIV. I'm totally credible...'

Buddy Guys 2, 3, and 4':
- 'Oh sweet! So, tell us...'

Buddy Guy 1:
- 'Sorry, I don't know how.'

Buddy Guys 2, 3, and 4':
- 'OMFG, why? Who is this guy?'

Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android

[syllopsium]

Lol, how's four years reasonable, are you serious?

Four years *isn't* reasonable - that's the point! After two years (most phones) and four years (Google, Samsung) they stop even bothering with security fixes. Congratulations, you now have a door stop unless the phone can be flashed with a third party ROM.

[qwerty4ever]

Xda has a thread on the issue.

They are looking to raise funds for a developer to buy the device.

Posted via CB10

So these so-called hackers cannot afford to buy the BlackBerry Priv themselves? Title BlackBerry Priv is not rootable and even Google has decided to go the same way with Google Android Marshmallow.

BlackBerry Priv with CrackBerry App for Android

[Smokeaire]

I have had 5 or more Android phones, and I've rooted each one. Every time I did I also thought "Why did I get this particular phone when I'm only going to root it and install some different or same custom rom?" It didn't always make sense to me but I did it anyway.

Diehard rooters are a minority, a minority who if refuses to buy a phone unless it is rootable hasn't any effect on the overall success of the phone nor the manufacturer's bottom line. The majority of phone buyers don't have a clue what rooting is, and they are the determining factor of success or failure of a product or company.

[Tre Lawrence]

So these so-called hackers cannot afford to buy the BlackBerry Priv themselves? Title BlackBerry Priv is not rootable and even Google has decided to go the same way with Google Android Marshmallow.

It's typical for folks to donate devices, especially with regards to less popular devices.

[Benjamin Black]

So these so-called hackers cannot afford to buy the BlackBerry Priv themselves? Title BlackBerry Priv is not rootable and even Google has decided to go the same way with Google Android Marshmallow.

BlackBerry Priv with CrackBerry App for Android

It is totally rootable. It is android and Google just patched a bunch of privilege escalation vulnerabilities in android......rooting occurs when somebody with intermediate to advanced knowledge of the operating system is messing around with the code and happens to identify one of these privilege escalation vulnerabilities before Google patches it. As time goes on and patches are applied android will likely become less and less rootable assuming new code is not vulnerable.

Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android

[qwerty4ever]

I wonder if BlackBerry could not alternatively try to make moneys (sic - autocorrected but sounded funny so I kept it) by releasing a Vanilla or Dev Edition that lacks all of the security features or makes them optional? Might be a smart way to grow the public interest without much additional investment on their part, as I imagine a Priv that could be rooted, lacking the security features, would be slightly cheaper, especially if they went with a 16gb offering.

Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android

BlackBerry smartphones by design are protected at the hardware-level from rooting, hacking and other attempts to compromise the systems software installed on the device. If management decides to outsource manufacturing to China to save a few dollars, the situation will ultimately be as recently disclosed by Juniper Networks saying their routers, switches, and vpn hardware has been compromised by malware installed in the firmware.