A few days after the official presentation of the new OnePlus 5T, the Chinese company is presented with a new problem in its devices. Is about EngineerMode. a pre-installed Qualcomm application that creates a security hole in their phones.
EngineerMode, the security hole of OnePlus
EngineerMode is a Qualcomm application dedicated to testing on the devices on which it is installed. It is a software that used in factories after the terminal has been built to check that everything is in order and works as it should.
Some of those functions allows to detect if the mobile phone is rooted, and this is the key to the conflict. EngineerMode is available to OnePlus smartphone users, within 'reach' of anyone. Within the apk code is the possibility to activate the DiagEnabled function with the following command: adb shell am start -n http://com.android .engineeringmode / .qualcomm.DiagEnabled –es «code» «password»
https://twitter.com/fs0c131y/status/930128672023072769
If in the command we enter «angela» in the «password» field, we will have gained root access to our device. Angela is the name of a character from Mr. Robot, a series that they seem to be fans of at Qualcomm.
The problem with all this is not simply the ability to root. It's about that you can root your phone without unlocking it and simply by sending a command line. These pose a danger because other apps could use this security hole to take control of your OnePlus.
OnePlus is up to date
The vulnerability was discovered by Elliot Alderson, who was posting his discoveries on Twitter. In one of his last messages, he tagged OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, who thanked him for discovering the flaw and assured that they were investigating it:
https://twitter.com/getpeid/status/930197107255992321
As the investigation unfolds, OnePlus users are in some danger. The problem is not root, but the ability to do it so easily and have others take control. For many users it is a curious tool, since they can root their mobile with ease. Own Elliot Alderson is working on an application for that very thing. However, for other less advanced users it represents a problem that they will not be aware of.
In two days the new OnePlus 5T is presented and it remains to be seen if it will have the same failure. You have an Android phone from OnePlus or from any other company, if you are interested in rooting it, you can learn how to do it with our tutorials.