Freed: Google G1 phone falls to jail breakers

by Stevie Smith - Nov 7 2008, 15:31

Another phone attached exclusively to a single network carrier, another opportunity for the hacker community to set about busting it out of jail. Specifically, the Android-imbued HTC G1 handset has become the latest mobile phone to fall after its T-Mobile ties were severed this week.

According to The Register, diligent hackers have been able to jailbreak the G1 handset by exploiting “a gaping hole” in its Google-backed open source Android operating system.

Made available through the XDA-Developers forum, the hack is described as fairly run-of-the-mill insofar as it involves taking advantage of the popular PTerminal application to telnet to the device’s IP address, which near instantaneously enables root.

Confused? You needn’t be. And thanks to ModMyGphone.com, the following instructions should help step you through the process -- not that The Tech Herald endorses such behaviour of course:

1: Turn on Wi-Fi in the G1 (Settings > Wireless Controls > Wi-Fi). Make sure you’re connected to a network.

2: Start up PTerminal (search in the Market) and you’ll get a prompt once it’s launched.

-- Enter cd system and hit Enter.

-- Enter cd bin and hit Enter.

-- Enter telnetd and hit Enter (You’ve now started telnet on your G1).

-- Enter netstat and hit Enter (You’ll now see your G1’s IP address. You can also find this in the Settings > Wireless Controls > Wi-Fi > and click on the network you’re connected to). It will then display your IP.

3: Start up Terminal on your OS X machine, or bring up a command prompt on your Windows box.

4: Type telnet and then your IP address, and hit Enter/Return. For example, if your IP was 192.168.1.101, you’d type telnet 192.168.1.101 and hit Enter/Return.

5: You are logged in as root now. To remount the system file as read write, type mount -oremount,rw /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system from the Terminal/Command Prompt and hit Enter/Return.

Those utilising the hack should then find themselves duly armed with complete system access including full read and write functionality, along with the added bonus of bringing in new software applications and even potentially running Symbian, Linux or another alternative mobile operating system.

Forum posters reacting to the jailbreak have commented that it opens up a wealth of modification possibilities beyond merely forcing a network wedge between the handset and its T-Mobile carrier.

However, before rushing off to follow the above set of instructions, it’s also worth noting that Google has warned that a patch is already on the way capable of sealing the current loophole, while some G1 owners have reportedly bricked their handsets while attempting to free it up.

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