Once [Ruan] over at AndroidClone heard that Android devices were capable of running a full Linux environment, he started contemplating all of the things he might be able to do with a full Linux OS in his pocket.
He decided that a portable penetration testing platform would be great to have on hand, so he got busy installing Ubuntu 10.10 on his Lenovo LePhone. Once he had it up and running, he stripped out all of the unnecessary fluff and added some common tools such as Wireshark, Nmap, and Kismet, among others. He says it easily runs side by side with Android, allowing you to switch between the Ubuntu install and your standard Android applications with ease.
While this all started out as a proof of concept, he has continued to refine the project, releasing several new versions along the way. If you are interested in giving it a try, he has installation instructions available in the AndroidClone forums.
[thanks Stephen]
How is this any different from BackTrack 5 ARM edition { http://www.backtrack-linux.org/downloads/ } ?
This is not installing a ” Real ” Linux onto the phone since you are only chroot’ing into it, thats even in bold on at the start of the page you linked:
“This doesn’t replace the Anroid OS. You’ll have both OSes on your phone, it doesn’t eat, destroy, or damage the OS when running Laika. “
Why doesn’t he just run Backtrack 5 on there? This has been around for a little while:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYShFr0foS8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OUqUiZQxs4
@bob
i was thinking the same thing seeing as how BT5 runs on ubuntu 10.10 anyway. As well as already including all of the pen-testing tools you will ever need and more.
Not a hack. It’s worthless.
Sure, network testing works, but you are using a chroot environment. the only communications you are testing is the communications between the host and the chroot environment…
Backtrack needs access to the physical hardware in order to use it’s features. The drivers do not exist for many android devices.
I’ve been working on actual solutions for running Ubuntu on an Android Device. I’ve actually got a terminal working as well.
“Why doesn’t he just run Backtrack 5 on there? This has been around for a little while:”
Well, if you read, it says:
“…this all started out as a proof of concept”
He was proving a concept. To himself. That he could get linux up and running on his phone configured with tools he would like to use.
More than the haters have proven, which is mostly that you are tools that likes to use the Internet.
Looking at the photo it looks like he has access to the hardware as he puts his wifi card into monitor mode. Wonder how aircrack-ng works.
Gaining full control of an Android cellphone is always useful but being able to replace the whole Android with a Linux version where apps can talk to the hardware without the huge limitations of the Java layer, besides being able to develop truly native apps (the Android NDK is close to a joke) would be a killer hack: the phone would become a lot faster and a ton of memory/storage space would become available for other uses, let alone the longer battery life due to the lower power consumption.
AFAIK today only a few phones and tablets can be reflashed using Meego or similar distros, but hopefully things will change in the future if enough efforts will be directed in that direction.
xiexie!
Is that REAL monitor mode? I only know of two monitor-mode capable drivers for phones
1) the mac80211-based “WL12xx” for the G1. This driver is old as crap, Android changes too quickly for the driver to be compatible.
2) the “bleeding edge WL1251” for the N900 (monitor, injection, the works).
Android is just too different from Linux to get good drivers and non-app programs. I’d get an N900 if I could afford it.
dolphin browser has truble with web page opera ok.