AT&T Samsung Android Tablets Rooting & Modding

Root users: Samsung S-Memo is insecurely storing your Google Account credentials

posted by Michael H. / Nov 12, 2012, 8:52 PM

Root users: Samsung S-Memo is insecurely storing your Google Account credentials

This is a warning for some Samsung Galaxy users out there who have rooted your device: Samsung's S-Memo is not securely storing your Google Account credentials, and because your device is rooted, that data could be at risk.

Apparently, one of the devs over at XDA has found out that S-Memo stores your Google Account credentials in plain text. Under normal circumstances, this shouldn't be an issue, but if you have rooted your device, that information is viewable. It was found on a Galaxy S III, and it seems that the trouble is in having your /data partition readable by any app in the /system partition.

If you have a rooted device, all you need is a SQLite reader, and you'll be able to see the Google Account data which is stored in plain text in a SQLite file. As of yet, this is just a be-aware bit of info, but it is possible that more apps are storing data this way, and it may be something root users need to be wary of in the future.

source: XDA developers

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25 Comments

1. Ninetysix

Posts: 2962; Member since: Oct 08, 2012

Android is the best!

posted on Nov 12, 2012, 8:56 PM 3

2. Nadr1212

Posts: 741; Member since: Sep 22, 2012

Uh oh!

posted on Nov 12, 2012, 9:02 PM 0

3. cj100570

Posts: 204; Member since: May 12, 2009

Let me see if I have this correct.... A secure system which users choose to make insecure by rooting, which removes certain safety mechanisms, renders the software vulnerable to attack? I'm shocked! The fix is simple, don't root your phone!

posted on Nov 12, 2012, 9:43 PM 4

4. spideyhead256

Posts: 148; Member since: Nov 05, 2012

rooting has it's advantages..if your phone actually needs to be rooted.i mean like i have an htc explorer which is a pretty low-end phone.it still has cm10 [jellybean] because of unlocking the bootloader and rooting it.my galaxy s3 surely doesn't need it cause it has already has the official JB update.and you get to use apps like titanium backup which are pretty helpful.but rooting should only be done by people who are willing to take the risk.unlike alot of people on xda who flash a rom from another phone on their phone. :|

posted on Nov 12, 2012, 9:55 PM 5

6. Hemlocke unregistered

Isn't that the truth. Be careful, you will get down-voted for suggesting something that those of us who are regulars on XDA know to be true: There are plenty of morons who use iOS, but there are also a bunch who use Android, as evidenced by all of the "HELP! Bricked my Sensation when all I did was flash One X AOKP. Why did it brick it?" garbage you see on XDA.

posted on Nov 12, 2012, 10:05 PM 3

7. spideyhead256

Posts: 148; Member since: Nov 05, 2012

+1 man.on the s3 forum i've seen alot of people who ask questions like 'can i flash this rom to my galaxy ace' :|

posted on Nov 12, 2012, 10:20 PM 2

11. Hemlocke unregistered

Those dudes kill me. You want to slap them and scream "RTFO! (Read the freaking OP)"

posted on Nov 12, 2012, 10:49 PM 1

12. spideyhead256

Posts: 148; Member since: Nov 05, 2012

know that feeling man. -_- and some people behave like beggars like 'when will this rom come plzzzzz release sooon' and 'are you dead or something' absolutely ridiculous and disrespectful.

posted on Nov 12, 2012, 10:59 PM 1

23. Non_Sequitur

Posts: 1111; Member since: Mar 16, 2012

There's some stuff beyond that, like advertisement disabling, tethering with access control, proxy servers, some Nova Launcher settings, etc. But yeah, I totally agree. Don't know what you're doing? GTFO. :P

posted on Nov 13, 2012, 4:37 AM 1

5. Hemlocke unregistered

If you don't root the Note, you are stuck with a skateboard with TouchWiz. That is not optimal. You need root to install ParanoidAndroid.

posted on Nov 12, 2012, 10:02 PM 1

15. 1ceTr0n

Posts: 549; Member since: May 20, 2012

And some of us are just fine with TouchWiz as is.

posted on Nov 12, 2012, 11:37 PM 1

24. Non_Sequitur

Posts: 1111; Member since: Mar 16, 2012

The OG Note, yeah. That thing was hardly operational. Second Note, nope. Zero lag.

posted on Nov 13, 2012, 4:38 AM 0

8. MC1123

Posts: 1256; Member since: Nov 12, 2012

i dont really understand why people need to root their device!! i mean android is free and costumization is available but ewhy still root? i understand the jailbreaking of iPhone, but i dont get why they root android phones?! not satisfied? why?

posted on Nov 12, 2012, 10:31 PM 2

9. wendygarett unregistered

Damn I just wanna say the same thing... Android users are so wild that they really need to kept in the zoo... All of my device has no root nor jailbreak, all empty and original lol

posted on Nov 12, 2012, 10:38 PM 0

18. RapidCat

Posts: 351; Member since: Jun 12, 2012

where is the fun?

posted on Nov 12, 2012, 11:53 PM 0

20. Commentator

Posts: 3722; Member since: Aug 16, 2011

I'm not sure what kind of website you're thinking of. We just make boxes here. (Hoping someone out there gets that reference.)

posted on Nov 13, 2012, 12:22 AM 1

10. spideyhead256

Posts: 148; Member since: Nov 05, 2012

to install aftermarket roms dude.to make the most of their mobiles.ofcourse rooting is for advanced users who know what they are doing.its pretty much the same thing just a little more complicated.and risky.

posted on Nov 12, 2012, 10:46 PM 3

16. MorePhonesThanNeeded

Posts: 645; Member since: Oct 23, 2011

It's simple, the OEM and carriers add their own junk apps and built it things to differentiate their Android device from the other Android device makers. Thus you end up with all sorts of stupid things like SGS3 not playing nice as Mass Storage device with Windows OS and things like skins you can't deactivate because the OEM thinks that you need "their" Android experience. Google is readying the Google Initiative, which will have OEM have two separate loads for the OS, on is skinned and the other is Vanilla Android and to me this sounds great, as most OEM tend to screw up android and have things that make the phone run kind of crappy. Google is always adding things to the core android experience, therefore OEM's should just focus on getting their hardware to work together in sync and not be some haphazard hardware that basically gets shown up by the software. This is why people tend to root their phones, they bought the device and don't want the other crap that to them is entirely useless, it's a customizable OS but with OEM custom crap on it which cannot be disabled unless you root, there is no other option yet.

posted on Nov 12, 2012, 11:37 PM 1

21. spideyhead256

Posts: 148; Member since: Nov 05, 2012

some features are useful with oem software.most aren't [and some are just idiotic placebos like beats]

posted on Nov 13, 2012, 12:59 AM 0

17. SleepingOz unregistered

Try CM or AOKP and you'll understand why some people root their droids..

posted on Nov 12, 2012, 11:45 PM 0

19. xfire99

Posts: 1205; Member since: Mar 14, 2012

If u understand jailbreaking, then u should understanding rooting too and if not, dont bother mention it.

posted on Nov 13, 2012, 12:08 AM 0

22. fins71

Posts: 17; Member since: Oct 29, 2012

Main reason might be is because it's their phone and they can if they want to. You never hear people who root their phones whine about updates since they do it themselves. I root brand new phones as soon as I get it home. I didn't need to root my new galaxy note 2, but I did cause I wanted to. The Devs at xda do amazing work. Once you get into rooting and flashing you'll always want to do it. It's like a hobby that pays off by improving your phone/tablet.

posted on Nov 13, 2012, 1:14 AM 1

13. ElektronicGeek91

Posts: 105; Member since: Sep 26, 2012

I just bought my Galaxy note 2 today and I love it the way it is.

posted on Nov 12, 2012, 11:21 PM 1

14. nobelset

Posts: 270; Member since: Oct 17, 2012

I rooted it, got custom roms and stuff, but the original's good.

posted on Nov 12, 2012, 11:28 PM 1

25. fervid

Posts: 183; Member since: Nov 22, 2011

A person isn't going to exploit their own phone they are going to have it stolen then that person root it to get to the data. You need to worry about this no matter what people.