[bugmenot2]

hi guys, sorry im not a registered user and im using a bugmenot account but i dont have a blackberry im here because i was trying to unlock my friends bold with the mml that got posted a couple of days ago, (i got 2 others unlocked, one bold and one curve, however this bold messed up somehow) if i put a sim card in with the network set to 2g and 3g it will lock up on a white screen and say "Radio core catfailed!" and give me the option to reset. ive been trying all types of ways to get it to work, was on the 162 rogers firmware, tried going to the 185 firmware thought since its a new firmware it would maybe write over the messed up part, didnt work, also tried a full erase in mml didnt work either, thing is the phone is unlocked, so is there a way to fix the 3g part of the firmware? i thought maybe getting the 190 firmware would help? if not im just going to buy him a new one, and take his and only use edge. thanks in advance!

[lingyeung]

I am come to exactly the same problem and waiting for the solution from you all

[Humphreyc]

yes i too now have this same problem as well. I wanted to not be stuck on 3g (big battery drain over long commute) and so I debranded and unlocked my Bold. The good news is that my battery life is much better since the 2g option shows up but the bad news is that this error shows up and now I have zero 3g capabilities. Both the 3g only and 2g & 3g options now both fail out. Anyone working on figuring this out?

[Branta]

So basically three novice CBers tried to debrand and unlock phones by using a cracked hacked (and probably backdoored) firmware from eastern european hackerz. Why is everyone so puzzled when it kills the phones?

Sorry guys, I think the phones are probably paperweights. If it killed the radio core one of the main boards is toast. You all knew the risk you were taking. Maybe you should make a claim against your software supplier.

[azncoduyen]

So basically three novice CBers tried to debrand and unlock phones by using a cracked hacked (and probably backdoored) firmware from eastern european hackerz. Why is everyone so puzzled when it kills the phones?

Sorry guys, I think the phones are probably paperweights. If it killed the radio core one of the main boards is toast. You all knew the risk you were taking. Maybe you should make a claim against your software supplier.

I don't think they need to do that. Just download a new MFI Multiloader with the right VSM to load back into their phone. Or maybe they missed a step to debrand their phone correctly. Cause I messed up and wasnt able to load my OS into the phone until i correctly debrand my phone. Just my 2 cent...

[Branta]

Considering they are trying to use an illegal/ pirated/ copyright infringing/ whatever you want to call it hacked version of RIM's software, they deserve everything RIM can throw at them, including barring of the phones if the IMEI or PIN is ever identified.

[aka.arj]

wat is this firmware? when was it posted? also does any1 have a link to it .... ( hopefully one with more details?)

[azncoduyen]

Branda why are you hating so much. There are people like me who has an ATT Bold that can't turn their 3G off because of lack of coverage area. It is known that the VSM for ATT specifically blocks the use of turning on or off 3G. It is not like we are changing the IMEI which is illegal

[aka.arj]

Where can I get this firmware/OS from??

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[infomax]

I just unlocked my old 8100, mml works great. Haven try it on my Bold yet. Unbrand the phone? How?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[azncoduyen]

What firmware are you talking about? The OS? or the Vendor firmware?

The OS firmware can be found at the beta section here. They have both the beta and the official firmware for the os. Make sure you read the direction about how to back and upgrade.

For the Vendor firmware, you need to go to another forum (gsm hosting). This can be done using google. The software is illegal. It can unlock your bold + install another vendor on there. I think it can also change your IMEI (this is illegal so dont do it).

[aka.arj]

^^ thank u .... i have a nuked beta blackberry bold thats just lying around as a paper wieght .... thanks for the input

[azncoduyen]

What did you do? Did you try the os update or trying to change the vendor ID??? I can try to help you out if you are more specific about it.

[Branta]

Branda why are you hating so much. There are people like me who has an ATT Bold that can't turn their 3G off because of lack of coverage area. It is known that the VSM for ATT specifically blocks the use of turning on or off 3G. It is not like we are changing the IMEI which is illegal

It is not a question of hate. The crackware being discussed is being pushed to newbies and novices who have a remarkable ability to get into trouble with it.

It is promoted as a debranding and unlocking scheme, but in reality it has the potential to be much more with serious risk to the security of the devices to which it is deployed. Without pulling any punches, the software is illegal and last time I checked it out, potentially dangerous;

It was hosted on warez sites also known for driveby downloads and malware embedded in hosted files.

There appeared to be previous links to some of the eastern european malware groups and the former RBN. Given that BlackBerry has always been an unachievable but highly desirable target for spyware installs this is an ideal social engineering opportunity for Bad Guys to start "owning" Blackberrys.

There is no way to tell what else has been changed in the cracked components. It would be fairly easy to modify the the phone's software so it copies all traffic to a third party for the purpose of harvesting passwords and other confidential information.

The cracking appears to work by disabling checking of certain parts of firmware. VendorID and locking actually remain on the phone, but the OS has been modified to ignore and use coded values from the download. Clearly this breaks all the security protection which is part of the original RIM product, so this must also be disabled. This means the phone is now at risk of other malware being slipped in as part of the cracked OS.

IOW there is a serious risk associated with MML software and the cracked OS, just as a number of users found that cracked Windows XP came with free spyware, trojans, and DDOS backdoors. It is only fair that the potential users (particularly inexperienced newbies) should be aware of the danger to their devices.

Finally, crackware is prohibited by forum rules: http://forums.crackberry.com/f39/pos...uidelines-113/

"No posting of Warez in the forums, such as links to download warez, instructions on "cracking" software, or "workarounds" that enable people to utilize for-pay services without paying. Posting this kind of content can result in an immediate and permanent ban. These kinds of activities can get CrackBerry.com in trouble, and nobody wants that, so just don't do it."

That raises a very good point. I will escalate your concerns about my opposition to these threads, and allow Kevin to make the call.

[ScienceRules]

Without pulling any punches, the software is illegal and last time I checked it out, potentially dangerous;
.
.
There is no way to tell what else has been changed in the cracked components. It would be fairly easy to modify the the phone's software so it copies all traffic to a third party for the purpose of harvesting passwords and other confidential information.

The cracking appears to work by disabling checking of certain parts of firmware. VendorID and locking actually remain on the phone, but the OS has been modified to ignore and use coded values from the download. Clearly this breaks all the security protection which is part of the original RIM product, so this must also be disabled. This means the phone is now at risk of other malware being slipped in as part of the cracked OS. [/INDENT]

IOW there is a serious risk associated with MML software and the cracked OS, just as a number of users found that cracked Windows XP came with free spyware, trojans, and DDOS backdoors.

While I agree with 95% of your points, and don't condone the use of stolen tools, there is no evidence to suggest that anyone who has used the factory tools for unlocking/debranding purposes has compromised the integrity of their BlackBerries. Reference this site for other publicly disclosed BlackBerry vulnerabilites - US-CERT: United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team

However, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that users are unwittingly disabling important features and functions and sometimes bricking their units. As such, I am 100% on board with your message that users should stay away from these tools and techniques.

If you have a "very close" relationship with RIM UK you probably know that many containment strategies have been kicked around - one of which is the availabilty of a benign tool for customizing the splash screen and certain other security-related enhancements to better control access to escreens, and certain other factory-internal functions.

Consider that it might be counterproductive to suggest that anyone who has already rebranded their units is at risk for - identity theft and loss of cofidential data - when their only option to reverse the process is to use the same tool.


sR

[Humphreyc]

this is the "crackberry" forum after-all. How is one supposed to distinguish from potentially evil cracks from Eastern Europe vs. more friendly cracks? at the end of the day, if i stayed with my Bold as it was originally designed, way too many phone calls would have dropped on my way to work and on my way back since the 3g coverage area continues to be inconsistent plus the battery life ends up being unacceptable.

despite having this radio core catfailed issue and therefore zero access to 3g, i end up having a more usable phone. voice is more reliable and battery life is acceptable and still the great usability and clarity of the bold. simultaneous voice & dad is nice to have while driving and is not critical

no plans at all and no interest to change the IMEI.

Branta, since you appear to be a "master" and not a newbie, how would you have solved the issue of allowing an AT&T Bold to do both 2g and 3g vs. 3g only (as AT&T made it)? I'm all for a better way... I was just never able to find that better way but it seems like you might know of an alternative.

even a crackr expert had to have been a newbie at one point.

thx,
H

[Branta]

So far there is no evidence either way, which is probably a good sign for the current status. However, I believe it is valid to raise awareness and point out the potential risks so individual users can make their own assessment. If the uptake is good enough I still suspect the bad guys could (at some stage, maybe next week, maybe next year) modify the tools for their own purpose.

Considering the options for attack, the most damaging would probably be a modification to device firmware but the easiest to implement would be an attack on the host PC. The software already exists to do this, all that would be required is to rebuild the installer package (.msi?) so it silently adds a backdoor or rootkits the PC during installation. The bad guys already have plenty of experience with this area of Windows programming, it is much easier than reworking Java programs without source, and the potential gains from 'owning' a PC are probably as good as getting access to the mobile device.

Looking at the number of users who got into difficulties after jumping into this without considering the possible consequences, I don't think it is counterproductive to raise awareness of the risk. Regardless of the (lack of) options available for self-repair if users know a risk exists they have the choice to take appropriate steps to watch for a problem, and engage damage control if necessary.

While I agree with 95% of your points, and don't condone the use of stolen tools, there is no evidence to suggest that anyone who has used the factory tools for unlocking/debranding purposes has compromised the integrity of their BlackBerries. Reference this site for other publicly disclosed BlackBerry vulnerabilites - US-CERT: United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team

However, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that users are unwittingly disabling important features and functions and sometimes bricking their units. As such, I am 100% on board with your message that users should stay away from these tools and techniques.

If you have a "very close" relationship with RIM UK you probably know that many containment strategies have been kicked around - one of which is the availabilty of a benign tool for customizing the splash screen and certain other security-related enhancements to better control access to escreens, and certain other factory-internal functions.

Consider that it might be counterproductive to suggest that anyone who has already rebranded their units is at risk for - identity theft and loss of cofidential data - when their only option to reverse the process is to use the same tool.


sR

[Branta]

this is the "crackberry" forum after-all. How is one supposed to distinguish from potentially evil cracks from Eastern Europe vs. more friendly cracks?

There is no easy way if you're going to take software from untrusted sources. It all becomes a matter of assessing the risks, and balancing potential gain and potential harm. Whether individual users consider only the immediate risk to themselves, or the wider risk to the community has to be a personal choice.

Fortunately this was a decision I did not need to make for my phone which was unlocked, factory vanilla from the day it was delivered. I have no idea how I would have responded if I was forced to contend with AT&T's monopoly and crippled functionality with a pisspoor 3G network.

[Gogi]

I have had this issue on several phones "radio core catfailed : reset", and have yet to find a solution. The problems did not stem from me unlocking the phones however. From my experience, this is the worst message you can get on a blackberry :/

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Chahal03]

lock it then!

[quadp]

any solution to this problem?

[nah.uhh]

Um... When you do the process you are NOT supposed to have FULL ERASE checked.
Full erase should be unchecked, auto start checked.
If you look where you got the program they have solved your problem a long time ago

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[BestBuyMobileBBUser]

Quick Question. My Bold is unlocked (not using any of the techniques mentioned here) I have as yet not seen an option to turn off 3G. Is this possible on all Unlocked Bolds, or just with the ones unlocked in the manner being discussed here?

[sandos]

Quick Question. My Bold is unlocked (not using any of the techniques mentioned here) I have as yet not seen an option to turn off 3G. Is this possible on all Unlocked Bolds, or just with the ones unlocked in the manner being discussed here?

You're way off... What's being discussed here is unbranding, not unlocking, two totally different things. There is a thread here somewhere about all of it.

[BestBuyMobileBBUser]

Oh. I just saw that someone commented that they could turn off the 3G. So that's unbranding, not unlocking?
Not to sound too dense, what's the difference?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com