Database Users

Erasing the DHD via HTCSense will delete personal data on sd card!!!

HI @ all!
Yesterday I tested the erase function on HTCSense.com.
I worked perfetly but erased also my personal data an the sd card like music, videos AND the preinstalled navigation software!
So be careful if u want to check out this feature!!
It´s quite logical that even the data on the sd card will be affected - but I wasn´t aware of that yesterday.
Anybody experienced teh same here?
Greetz!

Yep that's right. Page 166 of the User Manual says:
"... Erasing your phone contents
If there’s no chance of getting your phone back, you can erase the contents of the phone and the installed storage card so no one sees sensitive information on your phone.
There’s no way to recover your phone and storage card data after you erase the contents so be absolutely sure before you proceed.
1. On your computer, open your web browser and sign in to your HTCSense.com account.
2. Click Dashboard.
3. Click Erase Phone.
4. When asked to confirm, click Erase Phone. ..."
My emphasis .....
Dave

Isn't that the whole idea of wiping your phone remotely? ---- to protect your personal data not to be seen/used by the thief. At least you have proved that feature does work properly.

Soooooo...I guess reading the manual has become overrated
I'm sorry, I just had to
Cheers,
M_T_M
Your friendly Mod

No question - thats the idea behind this.
But whats with the navigation software??? Thats not really a "personal information" Thats part of the system I bought...
B.t.w.: The user manual is also wiped... lol!

Data recovery?
It would be interesting to find out just how well the data is erased - is it possible to attempt to recover the data on the SD card using some data recovery software?
I guess the hopeful answer is NO, you shouldn't be able to but it would be good to prove it, unless someone's already researched this?

clintyboy12 said:
It would be interesting to find out just how well the data is erased - is it possible to attempt to recover the data on the SD card using some data recovery software?
I guess the hopeful answer is NO, you shouldn't be able to but it would be good to prove it, unless someone's already researched this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you give me a recovery sw, i can test this..
@ M_T_M: n.r.t.f.m.
But I don´t care about the few mp3´s... i care about the navigation!

Can you store locations on the Nav, like where you live? I know TomTom advise against storing your actual 'home' location on the devices, as if it gets stolen then the thief then knows where you live - and they may now know that you aren't home.
I'm more concerned about someone hacking into HTCSense.com and being able to lock my phone, or erase everything off it. I hoped the website would be as secure as a bank website is, instead of just a simple username and password.

A-Dingo said:
But whats with the navigation software??? Thats not really a "personal information" Thats part of the system I bought...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually maps can tell a lot about you. For one it can give the region of world you are in by the maps you downloaded, but more importantly if you have routes saved, it can give away your address.

Closing thread now....derailing off-topic...
Salutations,
M_T_M

Xoom storage, why MTP instead of USB file system, true APP2SD (from Google developer)

If you are still wondering:
- What is the breakdown of that 32GB Xoom internal memory (how many parition, how much space for apps / files)?
- Why Google is using MTP instead of USB file transfer on Honeycomb?
Here is straight answer from Google developer:
MTP is a big improvement over USB mass storage — for devices with lots of internal memory, a manufacturer no longer needs to come up with some hard partition between the USB mass storage and internal storage. Instead, they are all in one partition, with MTP providing access to the directory of media files that would normally be available through USB mass storage.This means there is no longer a need for apps on SD card for such devices, because what used to be the “internal SD card” is in the same partition as where applications are stored. The storage on your device can be used for either applications or media, depending on what you want to put on it. You aren’t stuck with how much space the manufacturer decided to leave for the two areas.
Oh also this means that the media storage doesn’t need to be unmounted from Android when it is being access through the PC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://phandroid.com/2011/02/27/mac-users-require-file-transfer-utility-for-android-3-0/
Finally, true APP2SD You now have 32GB to put all your apps!!!

Sounds like a good thing!

This is a great explanation. Thanks for posting.

There is no doubt that mtp has advantages over mass storage. On the other hand I miss the ability to attach it to any computer and access files. It is not a huge problem but does add a limitation that was not there before.
That saod it is nice being able to access files on my computer without losing access to the partition on the device.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App

I only see a problem if you flash different roms and have to do full data wipes.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

jvs60 said:
I only see a problem if you flash different roms and have to do full data wipes.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure future versions of CWM will be set to ignore that one folder.. I hope. Otherwise nandroid backups will take forever.

I'm not sure in terms of security it is a huge improvement; unless there is an option to turn it on/off somewhere.
Previously I would have to plug an Android device in to my computer, turn the device on, enter my unlock code, and then specifically allow the computer access via the USB. This morning I just plugged my xoom in and, poof, access to all my stuff.
At least before someone had to take my sdcard out at put it in their computer manually

Does MTP have anything to do with file size limit? I've seen posted on this forum that you can't load video files larger than 4gb onto the Xoom because of FAT32, is that still the case?

This MTP also seems to hide a lot of file from being seen by a pc. I open folders with File manager on the Xoom and see more folders namely the android folder which has game save data and other odd ball files. When hooked to a pc its blank. With MTP it seems all your allowed to do is transfer music, video and pics.

Malcus1 said:
Does MTP have anything to do with file size limit? I've seen posted on this forum that you can't load video files larger than 4gb onto the Xoom because of FAT32, is that still the case?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still haven't got around to testing (so many things to try out!), but in some of the video threads, I've been told XOOM uses EXT4 format not FAT32, and thus, should not have that 4GB limit. I've been re-encoding video files to meet XOOM's current playback limitations, and have been reducing them to sub 4GB anyway, so I haven't tested that for myself.

Drop Box/Online Storage

Not sure if you guys have used this but Ive found it pretty handy for online storage. Called drop box, you get 2Gb free and can upgrade and get more if you need it!
http://db.tt/2yz87DL
If anyone else has found simliar apps that offer more storage would love to know so just post here!

ShaunD103 said:
Not sure if you guys have used this but Ive found it pretty handy for online storage. Called drop box, you get 2Gb free and can upgrade and get more if you need it!
http://db.tt/2yz87DL
If anyone else has found simliar apps that offer more storage would love to know so just post here!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right. And by clicking that referral link above, both parties get a little extra space.
It's a pretty popular online storage / file sharing service and along with the DropBox Android app, a great extension for storage on tablets.

gammaRascal said:
Right. And by clicking that referral link above, both parties get a little extra space.
It's a pretty popular online storage / file sharing service and along with the DropBox Android app, a great extension for storage on tablets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed, so far loving it!

Another online storage tool is Spideroak. It works across many platforms including Android and Linux. I am still in the process of testing it out. Not quite as intuitive as Dropbox. But I used the promo code *worldbackupday* and got a free upgrade to 5GB of storage. Not bad.

I'm using ubuntu one for my tablet and pc with ubuntu
Wysłane z Acera A500

Just trying out Asus Web Storage. It has a very cheap option for unlimited storage.... Tempting!

I personally can't think of any use for these online storage systems. It would be okay if you could mount them and then have all your applications be able to access the files there directly, but if you always have to copy stuff back and forth first then... meh.

Well the great thing about DropBox is that it integrates into windows just like a regular folder.
Once you've installed the application (which has a very small footprint) you can use the Windows 'Send To' context menu option and send anything to the DrobBox folder on your computer and it syncs with the account, making whatever you put in there available from any web-connected device. (either in a public or private folder which you can also set up)
You can also setup shared folders between people/teams which has a semi-type check-in/check-out feature that shows when others are working on them. So, say I'm working on a design doc - I can open it directly from my DropBox folder (since its a regular windows folder) make changes, edits etc, save it and it syncs the new version with anyone else I'm sharing the folder with.
As far as the tablet goes, it really is an extension to storage but only in a minimalist sense. Launching the Android App shows you all your DropBox folders and you can navigate though folders and open files or download them to your tab (without having to mount the tab to your computer or do that SD card dance). The primary point being, you can access them directly from the DropBox app and not actually have them on your tab.
I use it mainly to store books and other documents (also my bootanimations and screenshots) so when I want to access them (or give access to them) I can share the link, or open the files directly on my tab - make changes, save and it saves to DropBox.
It really is flawless and elegant.

gammaRascal said:
It really is flawless and elegant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's also entirely reliant on people and systems over which you have no control. It can fail without warning, just because something between you and their servers goes wrong, and you have zero assurance of security either.
I hate the "cloud". I think it's stupid, pointless and potentially downright dangerous. You have zero control over your data or who has access to your data.

FloatingFatMan said:
It's also entirely reliant on people and systems over which you have no control. It can fail without warning, just because something between you and their servers goes wrong, and you have zero assurance of security either.
I hate the "cloud". I think it's stupid, pointless and potentially downright dangerous. You have zero control over your data or who has access to your data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What.are.you.talking.about?
All that reads like over sensitive hyperbole and paranoia to me.
You're suggesting that just because you have files in your DropBox folder that it's unsecure?
Anything can fail without warning - that's hardly an ongoing and preventative concern of mine. I could turn on the light in my bathroom and *might* pop and yet, here we are. I'm not about to take a flashlight in with me every single time *just in case*.
Your HDD can fail. Your CPU can pop. Your MB can short... I mean, what are you expecting? Putting files on DropBox is no more unsecure than burning it to a DVD or copying it to a Flash drive or leaving it on your HDD.
There are *levels* of security and DropBox is far more secure than you give it credit. If security is a serious concern of yours, turn off the internet.
And regarding the cloud. See paragraph 2.

gammaRascal said:
Well the great thing about DropBox is that it integrates into windows just like a regular folder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know it does on Windows, but my tablet doesn't run Windows.
As far as the tablet goes, it really is an extension to storage but only in a minimalist sense. Launching the Android App shows you all your DropBox folders and you can navigate though folders and open files or download them to your tab (without having to mount the tab to your computer or do that SD card dance). The primary point being, you can access them directly from the DropBox app and not actually have them on your tab.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the whole point why I don't like these kinds of things: it's cumbersome if I always have to go through this or that application first in order to use a file. It should just be mounted on a specific directory and that's that. I can only hope someone will create something like that for Android soon.
I wonder though if there is any way of mounting SSH connections, like for example as through Fuse as is possible on Linux. Then I wouldn't have to worry about these kinds of things at all as I have ample amounts of storage space on my server.

The company I work for, one of the largest IT corporations in Europe, SELLS cloud services. I know what I'm talking about.
Your files are not secure, no matter the assurances you're given, and Dropbox has had some pretty major security flaws in the quite recent past. And as a recent screwup on Amazon's cloud services recently showed, if something goes wrong or some dumbass makes a mistake, you might not even get your data back intact. That sort of thing happens a lot more often than you think, too.
Hell, we sell the bloody services to the world, but our own internal network services are down more often than a whores knickers!

FloatingFatMan said:
The company I work for, one of the largest IT corporations in Europe, SELLS cloud services. I know what I'm talking about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not questioning whether you know or don't know what you're talking about.
FloatingFatMan said:
Your files are not secure, no matter the assurances you're given, and Dropbox has had some pretty major security flaws in the quite recent past. And as a recent screwup on Amazon's cloud services recently showed, if something goes wrong or some dumbass makes a mistake, you might not even get your data back intact. That sort of thing happens a lot more often than you think, too.
Hell, we sell the bloody services to the world, but our own internal network services are down more often than a whores knickers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are secure. Which, as you know, is a relative term.
If you need *more* security then don't use it. I don't know how much simpler it can be.
WereCatf said:
I know it does on Windows, but my tablet doesn't run Windows.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's why there is an Android App. The service is a ubiquitous sharing that acts like a regular Windows folder while in the Windows environment. It's not *beholden* to the Windows environment.
WereCatf said:
That's the whole point why I don't like these kinds of things: it's cumbersome if I always have to go through this or that application first in order to use a file. It should just be mounted on a specific directory and that's that. I can only hope someone will create something like that for Android soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure how you can suggest it's cumbersome if you haven't tried it. Open the DropBox application, navigate to a file and select it and it opens in whatever app you have it set to open. They only different between than and opening a native application and then finding the file you want to open and opening it is that using the DropBox method, the file has to be downloaded first - which maybe is a thing for you, I don't know.
If you want it on your tab, select the file and download it - it saves to the local DropBox folder and at that point you can access it locally like any other file. The only other option is to manually put the file on your tablet - via cable, SD card, email - whatever method you see fit. To me, *that's* cumbersome.
Like I said, DropBox is more about access than storage. People use DropBox because they want access to files over the web in the same manner they would over a home network (without using bloated VNC's and multiple programs). If you have no need for such a function then DropBox doesn't sound like something you'd use.

gammaRascal said:
I'm not sure how you can suggest it's cumbersome if you haven't tried it. Open the DropBox application, navigate to a file and select it and it opens in whatever app you have it set to open. They only different between than and opening a native application and then finding the file you want to open and opening it is that using the DropBox method, the file has to be downloaded first - which maybe is a thing for you, I don't know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't differ at all from opening file manager, navigating to samba share and downloading a file from there. That's why I said I'd like something that allows me to mount the whole thing as a regular directory on my tablet, THEN it would be useful. Like for example, the eBook reader I have shows as a collection all the books I have. If the cloud storage was mounted on a directory I could just point the eBook reader to that directory and POOF, they'd all be visible and accessible without having to copy anything back-and-forth.
Unfortunately there seems to be no such service for Android. Atleast not yet :/
If you have no need for such a function then DropBox doesn't sound like something you'd use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look, I'm not bashing DropBox. I just voiced a wish for additional functionality. I already have DropBox-like functionality via file manager and browsing to either Samba-share or SFTP-share, with 2Tb storage, on my own server, but if I could just mount the thing on a directory it'd be a lot, LOT more useful.

gammaRascal said:
What.are.you.talking.about?
All that reads like over sensitive hyperbole and paranoia to me.
You're suggesting that just because you have files in your DropBox folder that it's unsecure?
Anything can fail without warning - that's hardly an ongoing and preventative concern of mine. I could turn on the light in my bathroom and *might* pop and yet, here we are. I'm not about to take a flashlight in with me every single time *just in case*.
Your HDD can fail. Your CPU can pop. Your MB can short... I mean, what are you expecting? Putting files on DropBox is no more unsecure than burning it to a DVD or copying it to a Flash drive or leaving it on your HDD.
There are *levels* of security and DropBox is far more secure than you give it credit. If security is a serious concern of yours, turn off the internet.
And regarding the cloud. See paragraph 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do a Google search using the terms Dropbox Security Breach and then read the article at CNET, a reliable IT information source. FloatingFatMan is right, at least about the security of Dropbox. I'm a bit leary of the Cloud for the same reasons. Do you know who is controlling your data or any of the folks who have access to it?

*yawn*
Yu huh...

My experience setting up Atrix file and folder security

I was considering storing financial and personal information on my phone in the form of files and realized that though the fingerprint scanner is ok to prevent the casual browser from logging into the phone when it is left unaccompanied, a real hacker could easily see whats on there with very little effort.
The Atrix on the face of it looks like a secure phone with the fingerprint reader; however XDA users would know that nothing prevents a thief from entering fastboot and mounting the files and folders to see whats on there. No security app can prevent that.
Using the android built-in option and encrypting the entire sdcard is NOT an option for me at this time. I think its going to slow down the phone operation if the OS files are encrypted and each time it needs to decrypt each and every file and folder. Also it may present issues when testing new ROMs. (And I am dual booting - so my extSD also has a ROM which I would not want to slow down anymore than it already is)
So I searched for methods and apps to encrypt individual files or folders on the Atrix. There are quiet a few in the market and a few are free as well with good reviews. However most -even the ones with the best reviews seem to be just changing the file name and location and not doing real encryption. Also most of these use proprietary algorithms or methods to hide information. A really good app would be one that uses an open source algorithm to encrypt the files and folders - so that the algorithm would be tested and verified as being strong by the world.
Also another requirement was for the ability to frequently sync and update the files on the phone with the PC. The app should have a PC equivalent - that is the file can change on my PC and then I should be able to sync the changed file with the phone in some automated way.
Yet another requirement would be the ability to quickly encrypt and decrypt huge audio or video files. A few good apps could encrypt small audio and video files but not files of size 1GB or more. The apps would either freeze after some time or not encrypt them at all.
Finally I was looking for an option by which the files if I unencrypt them to be available across all apps for the duration of that session - not just in the app that encrypts and decrypts them. So in other words, once I enter the password, the folder should be mounted and available in any app that can browse the phone - until I decide to end or unmount the encrypted store.
I found only Cryptonite doing all of this. Unfortunately Cryptonite does not support Truecrypt containers on Motorola phones. There is some info here on the truecrypt port to android here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=872297&page=7
However I could not get it working with the Atrix. Has anyone had success getting Kryptonite and Truecrypt to work on the Atrix?
Cryptonite also supports Dropbox, but I am not a big fan of storing sensitive info in the cloud - however well known the company is.
Cryptonite does support encFS and I was able to successfully create encFS encrypted folder on my Atrix. I would have liked to have TrueCrypt than encFS, just because I have been reading that Truecrypt has better overall support.
The method I use now for storing and synching encrypted information is:
for the first time only: create the encfs folder on the PC, then mount Atrix as a USB drive and copy the encrypted folder to Atrix.
To sync the encrypted files with the PC, I have to connect the Atrix as USB drive, open EncFS on the PC and select the folder on the Atrix to mount as a drive volume. Also mount the PC encFS folder as another drive. Now sync with the PC using any sync tool like MS SyncToy.
I went through a lot of searching and came to this which I think is good enough at the moment. I would like to hear if anyone else has a better app or method to secure and sync secured files on the Atrix - especially if you have got Truecrypt to somehow work on the Atrix. And I post this so that is anyone else needs this information, it is here.

shenoyh said:
Yet another requirement would be the ability to quickly encrypt and decrypt huge audio or video files. A few good apps could encrypt small audio and video files but not files of size 1GB or more. The apps would either freeze after some time or not encrypt them at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know about the rest of it, I never used any strong security on my phone nor do I intend to, but I think you shouldn't ever expect to be able to "quickly encrypt and decrypt huge files". You're pretty much asking for impossible here. It's like asking to build a full-featured house, furnished and all, in 30 minutes or less. A lot of data will always require a lot of time to process. Heck, even, say, straight plain copying such a file to a computer would take quite a while.

No.
Your not going to get business class security on your atrix, or any current phone most likely.
LUKS manager is the closest thing to legitimate encryption (not gimicky BS) i have seen, but it has some fatal flaws.
Passwords and such are safe and easy to store with KeePass, which is also on windows/linux for syncing and has years of reputation (also free/open source). It isnt for files though.
-------------------------------------------------
Atrix 4G
Rom: Cyanogenmod 7.2 [20120805]
Recov: Romracer 5.0.2.7-atrix5
Radio: N_01.97.00R
Kernel: Faux 1.00ghz-026b1
UV: -0/-25/-50/-100/-150/-225/-300

Help with Secure Folder Recovery

So I thought I had all the backups enabled for everything, including my Secure Folder.
I used smartswitch to make a backup of my phone before I reset it. It never occured to me to check my secure folder.
Apparently Smart Switch doesn't back up the secure folder, and I didn't have the backups enabled.
I reset my phone and now I'm frantic looking for a folder full of hunderes of photos from a relationship that just ended and I can't find it anywhere.
Is there ANY possible way for me to recover these photos? I'll even trip Knox and root if I have to just to recover them.

Have you tried the restore option in secure folder?

blackhawk said:
Have you tried the restore option in secure folder?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No backups found because it apparently wasn't set up.

Maybe with Samsung cloud?
You might be boned. Sorry.
The problem being the secure folder content is encrypted and that key was lost with the factory reset. Try setting up Secure folder and see if it will repopulate. Worth a try...
Never trust SmartSwitch with critical data. I always use cut/paste for that. SmartSwitch is nice to save the homepage but I don't trust it.
I use my SD card as a data drive, all critical data goes here as well as backup and installable copies of all my apps. I can do a full restore without internet connection from here. I then redundantly back up the SD card to at least 2 hdds that are physically and electronically isolated from each other and the PC.
Only the loaded apps, the download folder and the DCIM folder (it's transferred to SD card regularly*) go on internal memory ie the OS drive. You have a dual drive PC in your hands, use it as such! Get a Sandisk. 5-1tb V30 Extreme card for it.
*never create more than one DCIM folder as it will cause issues, call the 2nd one Pic Master, etc

blackhawk said:
Maybe with Samsung cloud?
You might be boned. Sorry.
The problem being the secure folder content is encrypted and that key was lost with the factory reset. Try setting up Secure folder and see if it will repopulate. Worth a try...
Never trust SmartSwitch with critical data. I always use cut/paste for that. SmartSwitch is nice to save the homepage but I don't trust it.
I use my SD card as a data drive, all critical data goes here as well as backup and installable copies of all my apps. I can do a full restore without internet connection from here. I then redundantly back up the SD card to at least 2 hdds that are physically and electronically isolated from each other and the PC.
Only the loaded apps, the download folder and the DCIM folder (it's transferred to SD card regularly*) go on internal memory ie the OS drive. You have a dual drive PC in your hands, use it as such! Get a Sandisk. 5-1tb V30 Extreme card for it.
*never create more than one DCIM folder as it will cause issues, call the 2nd one Pic Master, etc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I reset up my Secure Folder, nothing was in there. I thought I had all the proper backups set, but apparently I didn't.
So I guess whatever I had in there is gone forever, and there's nothing I can do, even if I root?

You could try a factory reset, set up Secure Folder then use the SmartSwitch copy.
I don't think it will work but it's a thought.
The root problem is the encryption key, without it there's no hope.
The Samsung members site may have some better ideas as you're not the first to have done this. Usually if you do a Google search like "Samsung, secure folder recovery" or such results from the Samsung members site will show.
Speaking as someone who has lost a database, sometimes all you can do is to learn from the mistake and not repeat it.
Store backup hdds in more than one location. A safety deposit box is earth grounded (shielded from near lightning strikes) as well as being physically secure.
Keep all magnets away from hdds.

blackhawk said:
You could try a factory reset, set up Secure Folder then use the SmartSwitch copy.
I don't think it will work but it's a thought.
The root problem is the encryption key, without it there's no hope.
The Samsung members site may have some better ideas as you're not the first to have done this. Usually if you do a Google search like "Samsung, secure folder recovery" or such results from the Samsung members site will show.
Speaking as someone who has lost a database, sometimes all you can do is to learn from the mistake and not repeat it.
Store backup hdds in more than one location. A safety deposit box is earth grounded (shielded from near lightning strikes) as well as being physically secure.
Keep all magnets away from hdds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've searched the net. All I can find is bogus 'guides' with spyware/malware to download. From everything I can see Knox is just too strong of security. Also learned it's certified by the US DOD and NSA, so that really tells me the photos are gone to the digital graveyard never to return again.
I guess it's a sign. It was only photos from 10+ years of a relationship with a soon to be ex-wife. Sign to let go and move on I guess.
And a tough lesson in data management.

There are no other backups or copies? 10 years?
Google backup maybe? It retains data sometimes even after being turned off.
Yeah, Knox is all that. I never encrypt devices or data as you are the most likely to lose access to it rather than a stranger. No password on my 10+, double tap on/off... protected by blackhawk.