Andre Yoskowitz
17 Jun 2014 19:35
George Hotz (aka geohot) is back with a vengeance, releasing a new root tool that can be effectively used on all Android devices including the "unrootable" Samsung Galaxy S5 for Verizon and AT&T.
Geohot became famous for being the first person to unlock the original iPhone, and later for creating the limera1n jailbreak tool for future versions of the iPhone. The hacker then gained notoriety when he exploited OtherOS for the Sony PlayStation 3, opening up the ability to add homebrew (and play pirated games), causing Sony to disable the feature entirely and sue the young hacker.
Gaining root access to an Android device allows users to make system-level changes, and gain great apps like Titanium Backup. You can also flash different ROMs, like CyanogenMod, if you just hate the bloat of your Samsung, LG or HTC device.
Dubbed "Towelroot," the new tool requires you to download and install an APK directly from Geohot's site, and run it. That's it. All devices running Android 4.4.2 or lower can use it, leaving out just a handful of phones including the Nexus 5 and Moto X.
While the tool is great for users who want the easiest access to root, ever, it is unfortunate for Google since Towelroot is based on a Linux kernel vulnerability. Android 4.4.3 appears to have blocked at least part of the exploit, but it does not appear to be solved yet in its entirety. With over 97 percent of Android users on 4.4.2 (or older) Google may have to work a bit harder on the exploit.
If you want to try out Towelroot, get it here at the official page. Due to the nature of the APK, Afterdawn must recommend that you not download it from anywhere else.