Root Android (Kali Linux NetHunter install)

Summary

This instructional video demonstrates the process of rooting an Android phone, specifically a OnePlus Seven T running Android 11, to prepare it for the installation of Kali NetHunter. The guide covers unlocking the bootloader, installing necessary drivers, and using Magisk to gain root access. It emphasizes the importance of using official software and drivers for safety and provides a step-by-step approach for educational purposes, with a focus on legality and ethical use.

Takeaways

• 📱 The video demonstrates how to root an Android phone, specifically a OnePlus Seven T, to prepare it for the installation of software like Kali NetHunter.
• 🔒 Rooting is necessary to utilize the full capabilities of Kali NetHunter, including attacking Wi-Fi networks and running HID attacks.
• 🔄 The presenter chooses not to upgrade the phone to a later Android release to ensure the use of official drivers from the OnePlus website.
• 🛠️ The process involves unlocking the bootloader, enabling OEM unlocking and USB debugging, and installing necessary drivers for potential recovery from a 'bricked' state.
• 💾 The video mentions different versions of Kali NetHunter, including Rootless, Lite, and the full package with a custom kernel for supported devices.
• 🔗 The video provides guidance on downloading platform tools from Android Studio and emphasizes the importance of agreeing to the license terms.
• 🔄 The presenter explains the steps to enter Fastboot mode and the importance of having the correct drivers installed on Windows for device recovery.
• 📁 The script includes instructions on downloading and using a payload-dumper tool to extract the boot image file from the firmware.
• 🔄 Magisk, a popular rooting solution, is used in the video to root the device by pushing the boot image to the phone and flashing it.
• 📲 The video script provides a step-by-step guide, including the use ofADB commands, to ensure the phone is properly rooted.
• 🛡️ After rooting, the video suggests using a Root Checker app to verify that the phone has been successfully rooted for educational and lawful purposes.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the video?

The purpose of the video is to demonstrate how to root an Android phone, specifically a OnePlus Seven T, in preparation for installing software like Kali NetHunter.

Why is it necessary to root an Android phone for using Kali NetHunter?

Rooting an Android phone is necessary for using the full power of Kali NetHunter, including features like WiFi injection and HID attacks, which require a rooted device.

What are the different versions of Kali NetHunter mentioned in the video?

The video mentions three versions of Kali NetHunter: Rootless install, NetHunter Lite, and the full NetHunter package with a custom kernel for supported devices.

Why does the video recommend using a OnePlus device for learning how to root an Android phone?

The video recommends OnePlus devices because there are available instructions for rooting them, and they are commonly used for such demonstrations, making them a good choice for educational purposes.

What is the Android version used in the demonstration, and why was it chosen?

The Android version used in the demonstration is 11.0.9.1.HD65BA. It was chosen because it is the latest official release for the OnePlus Seven T at the time of the video, and it allows for obtaining official drivers from the OnePlus website.

What is the role of the Root Checker app in the video?

The Root Checker app is used to verify that the Android phone has been successfully rooted after following the steps demonstrated in the video.

What is the first step to enable on the phone before rooting?

The first step is to enable Developer Mode and Developer Options on the phone, which includes tapping the bold number seven times in the About Phone section.

What are the two options that need to be enabled in Developer Options for rooting?

The two options that need to be enabled in Developer Options are OEM unlocking and USB debugging.

Why is it important to install the Android Bootloader Interface drivers on the Windows computer?

Installing the Android Bootloader Interface drivers is important to ensure that if the phone is bricked during the rooting process, it can be un-bricked using the Windows computer.

What is the purpose of the payload-dumper tool downloaded from GitHub?

The payload-dumper tool is used to extract the boot image file from the firmware, which is necessary for modifying the boot image to include the rooting package like Magisk.

How does the video ensure that the rooting process is successful?

The video ensures the rooting process is successful by using the Root Checker app to verify root access after the phone has been rebooted and Magisk is installed.

Outlines

00:00

📱 Preparing Android for Rooting and NetHunter Installation

The video begins with an introduction to rooting an Android phone, specifically a OnePlus Seven T running Android 11, to prepare it for the installation of software like Kali NetHunter. The presenter explains that rooting is necessary to utilize the full capabilities of NetHunter, such as attacking Wi-Fi networks. The video will guide viewers through the rooting process, using the official Android drivers from the OnePlus website to avoid installing unreliable software. The presenter also mentions different versions of NetHunter, including NetHunter Pro for PinePhone, which will be demonstrated in a separate video. The video provides timestamps for viewers to navigate to specific sections and emphasizes that the instructions are for educational purposes only.

05:03

🔧 Enabling Developer Mode and Installing Necessary Drivers

The second paragraph details the process of enabling developer mode on the OnePlus Seven T by tapping the 'Build number' in 'About Phone' seven times. It then instructs viewers to enable OEM unlocking and USB debugging in the 'Developer Options'. The presenter guides the audience through installing the necessary drivers on a Windows computer to handle potential issues like 'bricking' the phone. This includes checking for updates in Windows to find and install the 'Android Bootloader Interface' driver from Google Inc. The video also covers how to enter Fastboot mode on the phone and the importance of rebooting Windows to ensure the drivers are properly installed.

10:04

🔄 Unlocking Bootloader and Initial Phone Setup

In this section, the video script explains how to unlock the bootloader of the OnePlus Seven T. This involves using the 'adb reboot edl' command in a terminal window to boot the phone into EDL mode and then using 'fastboot OEM unlock' to unlock the bootloader. The presenter warns viewers not to set up any security measures like face or fingerprint locks after the phone reboots, but to proceed with the initial setup. The video also guides viewers on how to download and install the payload-dumper tool from GitHub to extract the boot image file from the firmware, which is essential for the rooting process.

15:04

🛠 Rooting the Device with Magisk and Verifying Root Access

The final paragraph outlines the process of rooting the device using Magisk. The presenter instructs viewers to download and install the Magisk APK, select the boot image, and install it using the Magisk app. After the installation, the boot image file is pulled from the phone to the Windows computer using 'adb pull'. The patched boot image is then flashed back to the phone using 'fastboot flash boot'. The video concludes with verifying that the phone has been successfully rooted using the Root Checker app from the Play Store, and the presenter promises to show the installation of Kali NetHunter in a subsequent video.

Keywords

💡Root Checker app

The Root Checker app is a software utility used to verify whether an Android device has been rooted or not. In the context of the video, it is used to confirm that the phone has been successfully rooted, which is a prerequisite for installing certain types of software, such as Kali NetHunter. The script mentions using the Root Checker app to verify the phone's rooted status after the rooting process.

💡Rooting

Rooting refers to the process of gaining administrative access to an Android device's operating system. It allows users to bypass restrictions set by the manufacturer or carrier, enabling the installation of custom software and modifications. In the video, rooting is the main focus as it is a necessary step before installing Kali NetHunter to utilize its full capabilities.

💡Kali NetHunter

Kali NetHunter is a penetration testing platform that turns an Android device into a powerful hacking toolkit. It is used for various security testing purposes, such as attacking Wi-Fi networks. The video script discusses the need for rooting an Android phone to fully utilize the capabilities of Kali NetHunter.

💡OnePlus Seven T

The OnePlus Seven T is a specific model of smartphone used in the video as an example for demonstrating the rooting process. It is mentioned as the device being used for the tutorial, and the script provides detailed steps tailored to this particular phone model.

💡Android 11

Android 11 is the version of the Android operating system that the OnePlus Seven T in the video is running. The script mentions that the presenter is not upgrading to a later release of Android to ensure the availability of official drivers, which is important for the rooting process.

💡OEM unlocking

OEM unlocking is a feature that allows users to remove the manufacturer's restrictions on the device, enabling actions such as flashing custom recovery or rooting. In the video, enabling OEM unlocking is a step in the process of preparing the phone for rooting.

💡USB debugging

USB debugging is a feature in Android that allows a computer to access and control the device over a USB connection. In the script, enabling USB debugging is necessary for the computer to communicate with the phone during the rooting process.

💡Bootloader

The bootloader is a program that runs before the operating system, responsible for loading the OS into the device's memory. In the video, unlocking the bootloader is a critical step towards rooting the phone, as it allows the user to replace the stock operating system with a custom version.

💡Magisk

Magisk is a popular tool used for rooting and customizing Android devices. It provides a way to gain root access while maintaining the device's ability to receive official updates. The script describes using Magisk to root the OnePlus Seven T by patching the boot image.

💡Payload-dumper

Payload-dumper is a tool mentioned in the script used to extract specific files from a firmware payload, such as the boot image. This tool is necessary for modifying the boot image to integrate Magisk, which is a step towards rooting the device.

💡ADB

ADB stands for Android Debug Bridge, a command-line tool that allows users to communicate with an Android device for various purposes, including installing and debugging apps. In the video, ADB commands are used to manage the connection between the computer and the phone, and to push and pull files during the rooting process.

Highlights

Introduction to rooting an Android phone for the installation of advanced software like Kali NetHunter.

Rooting is necessary to utilize the full capabilities of Kali NetHunter, such as attacking Wi-Fi networks.

Kali NetHunter can be run on various devices, including virtual machines and dual-boot configurations.

The demonstration uses a OnePlus Seven T phone with Android 11 for the rooting process.

Avoiding the upgrade to a later Android release to ensure the installation of official drivers.

Instructions for enabling OEM unlocking and USB debugging on the OnePlus Seven T.

The importance of installing drivers to recover a bricked phone using the Android Bootloader Interface.

Steps to enter Fastboot mode and the necessity of having the correct drivers installed on Windows.

The process of unlocking the bootloader and the precautions to take during the initial phone setup post-unlocking.

Different versions of Kali NetHunter and their requirements, such as Rootless, Lite, and the full package.

Recommendation of OnePlus devices for learning how to root Android phones and plans to cover additional devices in future videos.

The use of a PowerPoint presentation for written instructions alongside the video demonstration.

A reminder that the rooting process should only be used for educational purposes and not for illegal activities.

Downloading and using the payload-dumper tool to extract the boot image from the firmware.

Instructions on using Magisk to patch the boot image and the subsequent installation process.

Verification of the successful rooting of the phone using a Root Checker app.

Conclusion and a preview of the next video which will cover the installation of Kali NetHunter on a rooted phone.

Transcripts

- Here I've got an Android phone.

But if I selected the Root Checker app,

I can verify that this phone has been rooted.

In this video,

I'm gonna show you how to root an Android phone

in preparation for the installation of software

such as Kali NetHunter.

You need to root your phone

if you want to use the full power

of Kali NetHunter, for example, to attack wifi networks.

(electronic sounds)

Kali can run on many types of devices.

You could run it within a virtual machine.

You could dual boot your computer.

But in this example, we're gonna use a mobile device.

We're going to use NetHunter,

but there are two versions of NetHunter.

We've got NetHunter Pro,

which you would use on a PinePhone.

I'll demonstrate that in a separate video.

In this video,

we're going to look at rooting the Android phone

in preparation for installing NetHunter.

Various phones are supported.

So you could use a Nexus phone as an example, and Nokia,

various other phones.

But the phone that we are using for this demonstration

is a OnePlus Seven T.

So on this device, I'll go to Settings, About Phone.

You can see that it's a OnePlus Seven T.

In this case, we're using Android 11.

And this specific bold number.

Now in this example,

I'm not gonna upgrade the phone

to a later release of Android.

The reason for doing that is I want to get official drivers

for the phone.

I don't wanna install some kind of dodgy software.

On the OnePlus website. For the OnePlus Seven T.

The latest software that I can download is 11.0.9.1.HD65BA.

And that's the version of software running on this phone.

If I look at System,

there is an upgrade to the software.

So I could install Oxygen OS12.

But in my tests that didn't work. So I'm not gonna do that.

I'm gonna stay with this release of Android 11

per this download.

Now you can use the timestamps

to jump to a specific part of this video.

I wanna talk about the reasons that I'm using this phone.

I want to talk about Kali NetHunter,

the different types of Kali NetHunter that you have.

Again, use the timestamps

if you're only interested in certain parts of the video.

Now there are different additions of Kali NetHunter.

You have a Rootless install.

Have a look at this video

if you wanna see how to install Kali NetHunter

using a rootless installation.

That's the simplest installation of all.

There's also NetHunter Lite,

which is a full Nethunter package

for rooted phones without a custom kernel.

And then you have the full NetHunter package

with custom kernel for supported devices.

To be honest, if you want the power of NetHunter,

you need to use a rooted device.

As an example, if you want to use WiFi injection,

you need a rooted device running NetHunter.

If you wanna run HID attacks, you need to use NetHunter,

not NetHunter Lite or NetHunter Rootless.

So again, what I'm gonna show you in this video

is how to root the device in preparation

for the NetHunter installation.

I'll do the actual NetHunter installation

in a separate video.

In this video I just wanna show you how to root this device.

OnePlus devices are my recommended device

if you wanna learn how to root an Android phone.

There are instructions out there

on how to root other devices.

Please let me know in the comments below

if there are any other devices

that you want me to demonstrate.

I will be covering additional devices.

But in this example, we're doing a NetHunter installation

for the OnePlus Seven T, version 11.

So that's the NetHunter software

that I'm going to want to download.

But before I even get to that,

there are various steps that you need to complete.

And to make this easier for you,

my team and I have created a PowerPoint presentation.

So download the PDF below

if you want to have written instructions,

rather than just follow the video.

As always,

do not use the information that I'm showing you here

for illegal activities.

It's only for educational purposes.

What you need to do, this is a Windows 10 or 11 computer.

Now you can use other operating systems.

But because most people use Windows,

I'm gonna be demonstrating this with a Windows computer.

If you want to install Kali NetHunter,

you need a virtual machine as an example running Kali Linux,

so that you can compile the Kali NetHunter kernel.

Again, I'll show you that in a separate video.

You also need a USB-C data cable,

and obviously you need a phone.

So in this example, the OnePlus Seven T.

Okay, so as mentioned,

we're not gonna upgrade the phone to Android 12.

We're gonna use Android 11.

Next step is we need to download the platform tools.

So we go to developer Android.com, studio releases,

Platform Tools, and in this example,

I'm gonna download the SDK Platform Tools for Windows.

You have to agree to the license

and make sure that you read that.

Agree to the license and then download the platform tools.

I'm gonna save that to my desktop

and what I'll do is extract that software.

So I've now got the software extracted.

What we now need to do is unlock the bootloader

on the phone.

So I'm gonna go to Settings once again on the phone.

I'm gonna scroll down to About Phone.

And I'm gonna tap the bold number seven times.

And what we're told now is we've become a developer.

We need developer mode

because what we want to do is go to System Settings,

Developer Options.

And what we want to do is enable OEM unlocking.

And we want to enable USB debugging.

And you need to accept those two options.

So again, we need both OEM unlocking,

as well as USB debugging enabled.

Okay, so the next step is we need to install drivers,

so that if we brick the phone, we can un-brick it.

Some people struggle with this.

What you have to do is hold the up and down volume button

and power button at the same time.

So you might see the volume go up or something else happen,

but basically you just need to hold it

and the phone will reset and we'll go into faster boot mode.

If you have a problem,

make sure up and down volume button held at the same time

as the power button.

Keep holding it until it goes into Fastboot mode.

Okay, so back on Windows,

we're going to go the Windows update.

We're gonna make sure that we check for updates.

Go to Advanced Options, Optional Updates.

And what you wanna see is Google Inc.,

Other hardware, Android BootLoader Interface.

If you don't see that,

make sure that you press those three buttons again.

Volume up and down, power button.

Make sure that you see the Fastboot mode.

Go back into Windows.

Click Check for Updates, Advanced Options, Optional Updates.

And we want to see the software.

Okay, so what we need to do is select the Google Inc.,

Other Hardware, Android Bootloader Interface

and click Download and Install and install that software.

We want that once again,

in case we brick the phone and we need to un-brick it.

Okay, so if I check for updates now, software's up to date.

Now I've had problems if I don't do this.

So the next step is to restart Windows.

(gentle dinging)

Okay, we need to make sure that the phone

is plugged back into the Windows computer.

What I'll do is press the power button

to start the phone again.

Okay, phone has rebooted. I'm gonna allow USB debugging.

In the Platform Tools, I'm gonna open up a terminal.

LS shows us the software.

I'm gonna use the command adb devices

to see if devices are attached.

You can see if this device is attached.

You may see that it says, "Service is starting,"

and you might have to run this again.

You may have to unplug the phone and plug it back in again.

You basically need to have a device attached.

Okay, we need to boot into EDL mode.

So we're gonna use the command, adb, reboot, edl.

Phone reboots now.

So if you don't see that,

make sure that the device is attached.

Reboot your Windows computer if necessary.

Type the right commands to get the phone rebooted.

Okay, we're going to run the Windows update software again.

So Check for Updates, Advanced Options, Optional Updates.

And what you should see now

is that the drivers are displayed.

Again, we need this in case we need to un-brick the phone.

So I'm gonna download and install that.

Okay, Check for Updates, Advanced Options,

nothing available now,

because we've installed the right drivers.

And again, at this point, you may have to reboot Windows.

I've had problems with Windows if I don't reboot it.

Okay, so the next thing I need to do

is hold the up and down volume and power button

at the same time to get it to reboot.

We wanna boot into Fastboot Mode.

Okay, so there you go.

You might just have to hold it. Takes time, okay?

And once that boots,

then you press the power button to get it to boot up.

Phone is now rebooting.

The phone may prompt you to allow USB debugging.

So if you've asked that, then make sure that you permit it.

Okay, in the Platform Tools directory, once again,

I'm gonna open up a terminal.

LS shows us our software.

I'm gonna use the command ADB devices

to see if the device is connected.

Okay, I'm gonna need to allow USB debugging.

You can see that it says device unauthorized

because I had to allow USB debugging.

Now it's showing as a device

because I allowed USB debugging.

Okay, now we're gonna use adb reboot bootloader.

Phone reboots as you can see over there.

And we should see this on the screen.

Make sure that you see something like this,

where we see Start as an example at the top.

And now we can use the command fastboot devices.

So you can see the device is shown as fastboot

and then we're gonna use fastboot OEM unlock.

You should see it says okay,

finished in a certain amount of time.

And now we're going to use the volume button

to move down to unlock the phone.

So we're gonna unlock the bootloader

and then we're gonna press the power to reboot the phone.

Now this wipes the phone, may take it a while.

Wait until you see a Hello message.

It's important that you don't set up any face

or fingerprint or screen lock once the phone restarts.

But you can set up the phone normally

with that caveat or caution.

Okay, so there you go.

The phone has rebooted, Hello's displayed.

I can press start to get started.

Agree to the license agreement.

In this case I'll skip connecting to a mobile network.

But what I'll do is connect to a WiFi network.

I'm not gonna copy apps.

Okay, I need to log in with my Google account.

Click I Agree.

Okay, I'm not gonna enable all the services, click Accept.

Okay, so I'm not gonna enable the assistance,

so I'm gonna do that later.

I'll skip Google Play, I'll accept Co-Creation Labs.

I'll skip the screen lock.

Click Next. Click Next. Click Start.

Do the home screen thing like normal and press Start.

Okay, so now I've set up the phone as normal.

I didn't set up fingerprint or face ID.

Didn't put a pin on the phone.

Next thing I need to do

is get the model information once again.

I'll go to About, Android version is 11.

This is the bold number.

That's really important because I need to download

the right version of software.

So in this example, this phone is a 1903 phone. HD 1903.

That's because it's a European phone.

So I'm gonna download the software from this link.

If you've got a Chinese phone as an example,

you use this link.

If you've got an Indian phone, you'll use this link.

US Global is this link.

And then if it's T-mobile US,

you have to go to the XDA forums

'cause you're gonna have to change that phone

to a global US phone.

So in my example,

this is the version of software that I'm running.

Phone that I've got is a Seven T.

So the version that I want for my example

is this 11.0.9.1.HD65BA.

Make sure that you use the right software

that it matches your phone.

As mentioned previously, I don't wanna upgrade this,

because this is the only version available.

So I'm going to download that software to my computer.

Okay, software is downloaded, it's 2.6 gig in size.

What I'm gonna do is extract the file.

(fast-forwarding sounds)

And there you go. The file is extracted.

Notice we've got a payload.bin file.

What I'm actually gonna do with this file

is copy it to the Platform Tools folder

that we've been using previously.

It's easier for me just to put all the files in one place.

So the payload.bin file has now been copied

to that directory.

So next step is to go to GitHub

and download the payload-dumper tool.

So I'm gonna click on the link in the PowerPoint slide.

I'm gonna go to latest

and I'm gonna download the dumper tool for Windows AMD 64

because that's the operating system that I'm using

and I can't open this.

So I'm gonna download Seven-Zip.

So download the executable and I'll run that software,

install it so I can right click on that tar.gz file.

I'm gonna show more options here.

Seven-Zip extract the files. That is now extracted.

But it's a tar file here,

so I'm gonna have to show more options.

Seven-Zip extract that file.

So now I've got the go-dumper tool.

And what I'm gonna do to make it easier

is I'm gonna copy that file

into my Platform Tools directory.

Okay, so LS in my directory.

I'm gonna use the command payload-dumper.

Path to firmware, which I've put in that directory.

So it's payload bin.

And notice the files are being extracted.

The file we actually want is the boot image file.

Okay, so under extracted now, there's our boot image.

So I'm gonna copy that

and I'm gonna put it in Platform Tools

so that I've got all the files in one directory.

You don't have to do it that way.

I just prefer having the files in one directory.

So back on the phone, go to Settings.

We're gonna go to About Phone,

and then we are going to select Software Version

or bold number, depends on your phone.

But actually, I'm gonna do bold number

and I am now a developer.

Under System Developer options,

I'm gonna enable USB debugging.

Allow that. So I'll clear the screen here.

And now I can use adb push boot image.

And make sure that you get the spelling correct.

So it's sdcard, lowercase.

Download with an uppercase D,

and it's Download, not Downloads.

So we're gonna push that software to the phone

and you can see that the software has now been pushed.

Okay, so on the phone, once again,

open up a browser and I'm gonna search for Magisk on GitHub.

First hit is my GitHub link. So you can see Magisk here.

I'm gonna scroll down to the latest release, which is 25.2.

I'm gonna download the first file, which is the APK file.

I'm gonna click Okay to install it, click Open, Settings.

Allow that to be installed, go back, install the software,

press to open it.

So Magisk is now installed.

I'm gonna select Install, select a patch file,

go to File Manager, go to Download, select Boot Image.

Select Let's Go. Software is now being installed.

Okay, so that's been completed. Now all done, go back.

Go to File Manager. Say Okay, go to Downloads.

Make sure that you take a note of the name of the file

because now back on Windows, we're gonna pull that file.

So in Windows adb, pull, sdcard, Download, Magisk,

patch 25200.

And press Enter.

Okay, so you can see that so many bytes

were copied in so many seconds, so that's good.

So I'll just do a sanity check here.

I'm gonna do LS and make sure that Magisk is shown.

And you can see here

that that file is in my directory on my computer.

So I'm gonna do adb reboot bootloader

to reboot the phone.

As you can see there, the phone is rebooted.

Now we're gonna do fastboot flash boot, Magisk patched file.

So that's the file

that we copied to our Windows computer previously.

And I'm gonna press Enter. That's been sent to the phone.

And you can see that it's now finished.

Now we need to make sure that we're on Start

as we can see there.

And then press the power button. Phone will reboot now.

Okay, phone is now rooted.

I'm gonna allow USB debugging.

Under my apps, I can see Magisk. So Magisk is installed.

So on Magisk, once again,

as you can see now, Magisk is installed.

So in the Play Store,

I'm now gonna search for Root Checker

to check that the phone is actually rooted.

It is rooted at this point,

but I'm gonna install this app to verify that is the case.

So I'm gonna open up the software.

Say Agree. And I'm gonna verify Root Grant access.

And as you can see there, the phone has been rooted.

Okay, congratulations, phone has now been rooted.

I'll put a link below to the next video,

where I'll show you how to install Kali NetHunter

on a rooted phone such as this.