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Rooting Android phones at the click of a button

For many Android smartphone users the need to root their phones to install a custom version of Android’s operating system will never arise. For the rest of us, the news that a new rooting tool has been released may be the biggest thing this week.

The towelroot app uses an Android exploit which, by the looks of it, is present in most devices including Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S4 as well as LG’s 2013 flagship G2 and their latest, the G3 that was announced last month.

It was created by infamous hacker George “Geohot” Hotz who rose to fame as the first person to carrier unlock the iPhone in 2007 and subsequently hack the software of the PlayStation 3 console for which he was taken to court by Sony.

While towelroot is a simple way for most users wanting to run root-access-only apps, it also represents a major breach of the Android operating system – a serious problem for users who install apps from outside of the confines of the Google Play store.

Hackers looking to run malicious code on Android smartphones and tablets, for example, could have the towelroot code run during the installation process before their seemingly innocuous app is installed. (The hacker would then have root access to the device which would allow them administrator levels of access to data and processes on it.)

If you want to root your smartphone using towelroot, be sure to only install it from GeoHot’s website lest you pick up a nasty malware infection on the side. Also keep in mind that rooting your Android device will more than likely void the manufacturer’s warranty.

[Source – towelroot, Geek.com]

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