Tutorial Open Sesame! (AKA., The New & Improved JailBreak Index)

[oumlaut]

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

@oumlaut: Unless you switched to OpenSSH, the fact that it *rejects* a password tells me you might simply not be connecting to the right IP .

The default setup uses dropbear and will accept *any* input as the password (so, just hit enter).

(Keep in mind swapping the config manually is *not* safe outside of USBMS mode. i.e., doing it live over SSH will result in undefined behavior).

Thank you @NiLuJe. Mistaking the IP would be priceless But, no. Two machines w/ two different IPs, which I can access concurrently via SSH. On the other hand, yes, I have checked out to see that I use OpenSSH.

In the meantime, I have updated Voyage to @18981. Works fine. I will switch back to dropbear on Oasis, back up my @18289 files, update it to @18981, and give it another try.

On the other hand, since I already have my public key registered in the /mnt/us/usbnet/etc/authorized_keys file, I should not be asked for a password in the first place. Am I mistaken?

[NiLuJe]

ssh -vvv ought to tell you why the pubkey might be skipped .

[oumlaut]

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

@oumlaut: Unless you switched to OpenSSH, the fact that it *rejects* a password tells me you might simply not be connecting to the right IP .

Switching to Dropbear seems to have solved the problem. I received a man-in-the-middle attack warning, tried after deleting the host keys, and I was in.

The default setup uses dropbear and will accept *any* input as the password (so, just hit enter).

Strange as it was, I wasn't asked for a password

[oumlaut]

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

ssh -vvv ought to tell you why the pubkey might be skipped .

Thank you for the tip.

[Solveigh]

Hi there,

I am completely new to jailbreaking and want to give it a try. However, I am pretty confused about the different options over time and for several versions. I don't know which method would be the best aka safest and easiest one especially for my kindles with older firmware, and I am afraid of bricking them:

• Kindle Paperwhite 10th Gen with Firmware 5.12.4 (3602780042)
• Kindle Oasis 3 with Firmware 5.12.4 (3602800042)

My requirements are:

• I want to block OTA updates when not in flight mode.
• I want to make sure that the jailbreak survives manual updates.
• I want to be able to downgrade a firmware version, in case I don't like a manually installed update.
• I want to be able to connect my Amazon account for downloading, book sync and whispersync after jailbreaking.

Can someone please shed light on this and give me some advice which jailbreak way I should go? I would really appreciate it!

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Solveigh

I am completely new to jailbreaking and want to give it a try.

Can someone please shed light on this and give me some advice which jailbreak way I should go? I would really appreciate it!

KindleBreak
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=338268

The first post is pretty thorough and well and addresses most of your concerns. Preventing updates with wifi on is doable, but first things first.

[Solveigh]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

KindleBreak
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=338268

Thank you!

[Smitmiller]

I have been reading all the posts about jailbreaking and OTA updates and such, and thank you so much for all of the time and effort everyone has put in. I'm reasonably sure I understand how to jailbreak using KindleBreak. However, I'm not sure I need to.

I have a Kindle Oasis 2, FW 5.9.6.1. It has only been connected to Amazon once, to register. I want two things:
1) To block OTA updates.
2) To download books wirelessly.

Do I need to jailbreak my Kindle to do this?

Is it best from a long-term standpoint (future OTA blocking issues) for me to jailbreak my Kindle to do this?

[Smitmiller]

Oops, I miscopied and didn't get the last part:

If I don't need to jailbreak my Kindle, do I need to replace the relevant directory with update.bin.tmp.partial? Is that all I have to do?

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Smitmiller

Oops, I miscopied and didn't get the last part:

If I don't need to jailbreak my Kindle, do I need to replace the relevant directory with update.bin.tmp.partial? Is that all I have to do?

You only need to create that directory. It doesn't replace anything, it prevents the automatic update process from creating an ordinary file of the same name to hold the update while it downloads.

At some point beyond the 5.9 firmwares that directory gets deleted, even if it is readonly and even if personal files are in it. (So amazon is perfectly willing to commit theft.)

[Smitmiller]

Thanks for the good news. Adding (not replacing, I appreciate the correction) the directory is such an easy fix.

Originally Posted by j.p.s

At some point beyond the 5.9 firmwares that directory gets deleted, even if it is readonly and even if personal files are in it. (So amazon is perfectly willing to commit theft.)

You wouldn't happen to know whether FW 5.10.3 gets the directory deleted, would you? I have considered updating my firmware to that on the off chance I ever change my mind on jailbreaking this Kindle. But if 5.10.3 has the issue, I'll wait.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Smitmiller

You wouldn't happen to know whether FW 5.10.3 gets the directory deleted, would you? I have considered updating my firmware to that on the off chance I ever change my mind on jailbreaking this Kindle. But if 5.10.3 has the issue, I'll wait.

5.10.x was where the directory delete code was discovered, but bo one has reported it being activated there. I think that started for sure in 5.12.x or 5.13.x

But why not jailbreak? KindleBreak is fast and easy and does not involve large firmware downloads or intricate gestures on the touchscreen. There is a KUAL extension to rename the binaries that do OTA updates. It also has a button to name them back if wanted.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=338268

[Smitmiller]

Oh, mainly because I had added a Parental Controls password way back when and since forgot what it was. I didn't think I could jailbreak with that, and the thought of a factory reset makes me twitchy. I have everything the way I want it right now.

But curiosity will probably get the better of me over the next month or so.

[avggeek]

Hello,

I JB'ed my Kindle Paperwhite 2 back in 2021, installed KUAL and a couple of plugins and have mostly left it untouched since. Indeed, the Kindle has been in Aeroplane mode for the majority of the time since then.

The recent change to remove the Download option for Kindle Unlimited books is a nasty surprise and I was hoping to workaround it by grabbing the books from my PW after getting the books over WiFi, then using the KFX Input plugin.

Unfortunately my PW is 5.12.2 which is literally just one patch version over the last compatible version with KFX Input - argh! I've come across the KUAL downgrader plugin but that forum thread has me more confused. It also mentions that with a FW update, the jailbreak has to be reinstalled which has me worried that I could lose the JB if I'm not careful.

Could someone provide me some tips on what I should be doing? Is there some specific steps I need to follow to "update" the JB before trying to downgrade the firmware via KUAL? What is the process for the JB after I apply a firmware update? Any guidance would be very welcome!

[NiLuJe]

The downgrader you're likely referring to is not intended for modern devices (and will effectively not work there anyway). IIRC, there's a specific thread detailing downgrades on modern devices, but it isn't for the faint of heart.

EDIT: Okay, I was remembering older stuff. This should be fairly streamlined. Caveat emptor, YMMV, etc.
(Do read through the original, manual thread, though).