K5 Kindle Paperwhite Jailbreak (5.2.0 - 5.3.1, 5.3.4, 5.3.5)

[ixtab]

Here we go - a jailbreak method that works on Paperwhite devices with Firmware versions 5.2.0, 5.3.0, 5.3.1, 5.3.4, and 5.3.5.

UPDATE 2013-03-19: Please make sure that you are using the latest version of the rescue pack! Standalone versions installed before 2013-03-13, and jailbreaks performed before 2013-03-19, contain a rather serious bug in the rescue pack. If in doubt, re-install the rescue pack (see below for a link), or the jailbreak.

FIRMWARE 5.3.3 and 5.3.6:
This jailbreak cannot be installed on firmware 5.3.3 or 5.3.6.
Downgrade to an older version (e.g., 5.3.1, or any other supported version) first, install the jailbreak there, then update again to the desired version. The jailbreak as such will survive the update (but you have to reinstall the Kindlet developer certificates and the rescue pack - see the "re-installation required" notes below). Downgrading works exactly like upgrading. Put the update_*.bin on the Kindle, and use Menu > Settings, Menu > Update Your Kindle.


Thanks to youtube user Hunyadi Zsolt, here is a video of the jailbreak installer in action:

Spoiler:

Just download the attached zip, extract it and follow the instructions in the README.txt.

By default, the following "components" are installed:

• The actual device jailbreak, i.e., the certificate which allows to install custom update packages.
• The Jailbreak Bridge.
• The Kindlet developer certificates. (standalone installer package here - re-installation required after firmware update!)
• The Rescue Pack. (re-installation required after firmware update - INSTALL IT! One day, it might save your Kindle...).

You can disable individual components by editing the jailbreak.sh file, but this isn't recommended. After all, there is a very good reason for installing every single one of the components, so I recommend to just stick to the defaults.

It is safe to re-apply the procedure as many times as you want - for instance, if you happen to unregister your device, the developer certificates will be deleted. You can simply re-apply the jailbreak to get them back (only on supported firmwares though).

While it is not recommended to remove the jailbreak - after all, it also allows you to debrick the device - , instructions for doing so can be found here.

PS: And here is another, completely unrelated and off-topic, video:

Spoiler:

Yes - completely off-topic, but funny.

[geekmaster]

Great news!

I think you should post the "FINAL NOTE TO AMAZON" too:

Final Note to Amazon:

Spoiler:

FINAL NOTE TO AMAZON
--------------------

I know you are reading this, because that's part of your job :-)

Please, pretty please, keep your products modifiable by those who want to
modify them. The developers are not your enemies - we are your allies.
Pretty much all of the tweaks and hacks are actually there to add useful
functionality to the Kindles, to make them even better devices.

I understand that part of the Kindle's success lies in the simple fact
that it's superior to the competitors' products, and I understand that
you want to keep your trade secrets secret. Maybe that is the reason for
the ever-more aggressive obfuscation of the Java classes.

I also realize that a very small part of the information that was published
in the "dev scene" could be considered as a threat. I'm talking about
the ad removal (i.e., disabling Special Offers without paying the nominal
fee). I have personally published such information previously, and retro-
spectively, I shouldn't have done that. Mea culpa. I removed all of it,
and I'm not going to publish anything on that topic again. I don't want
to jeopardize the entire dev scene for a few bucks.

That said, and getting back to the point: Please don't render this
jailbreak method useless. All of the previous methods could be considered
a real threat (in the sense of "security hole"), because they - at least,
in principle - could have happened without the user noticing it, via
some "drive-by" attack. So it's fair to close those holes.
This method cannot be automatically exploited: the user has to knowingly
and willingly take action before anything happens.

So, to conclude: please don't attack the developers' scene and users who
just want to use the full potential of their Kindle.
Oh, and feel free to incorporate the developer-contributed enhancements
into the stock firmware. Almost all of them are using extremely permissive
licenses.

And, as a very last statement: feel free to contact me at the email address
provided in the README file.

-- ixtab, December 2012.

We want to make reading that easy for them.

[SeNS]

Great, thanks a lot! Impressive job, whitehats rulezz 4ever!

[dos1]

Me and my Kindle are both soooo grateful

[yiming]

great work ixtab , although i don't own a Paperwhite.

[dasmoover]

Awesome, you just saved me $120

[ixtab]

Originally Posted by geekmaster

Great news!

I think you should post the "FINAL NOTE TO AMAZON" too:

We want to make reading that easy for them.

Hehe... well, just leave it in your post, it's immediately below the other announcement

[ixtab]

Originally Posted by dasmoover

Awesome, you just saved me $120

How so?

[veezh]

Thank you, ixtab, for your excellent work.

[twobob]

Originally Posted by ixtab

How so?

It's no longer going in the trash

[kacir]

Thank you.
I can't wait to get home and try it out.

[dave2008]

AWESOME, ixtab! I knew that hackers will always win at the end

[atleon]

What a great new! Thanks Ixtab!

[aceflor]

great work ixtab, and for the message to amazon in your readme.txt (see, I read it completely ). It is a very positive and responsible message you are sending them, I can only hope they will indeed get in contact with you.

[ixtab]

@all: thanks to everyone for the positive feedback!

Please note that I just updated the file, so the 70 people who already downloaded it should probably download it again, just to be on the safe side.

The bugfix is really only relevant for people who decided to modify the jailbreak.sh, to disable some of the components. In that case, the components were still installed, even if they shouldn't have been. This is fixed now.

In other words: if you simply used the recommended default settings, nothing went wrong, and there is no need to worry.