Beware! Android 4.5 Update Could Break Root Apps!

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The Android 4.5 update could break many root apps if Google keeps the current code in place which limits an area many root apps use. According to Chainfire, the developer behind SuperSU, StickMount and many other root apps and utilities, the next version of Android could bring a change that would prevent many of your favorite root apps from working. However, the change is not targeted at root apps and is actually a security improvement.

“A recent commit to the AOSP master tree prevents the unconfined domain (everything you run through su by default) from executing files located on the /data partition. A lot of root apps (though by no means all of them) include binaries or scripts that they extract to their app-specific files or lib directory (located on the /data partition) and execute from there as root. This will no longer work out-of-the-box, and generate an access denied error.” said Chainfire.

For now, it appears that a fair share of root apps will need to be updated to work with the 'new' Android, added Chainfire. Further, Chainfire has already identified several methods for root app developers to get around this new restriction. Potential 'fixes' include extracting and running from memory or rootfs, piping commands directly to su instead of writing to a .sh first , forcing a context switch to a non-unconfined domain by way of suparameter or runcon, etc, Chainfire has revealed. Popular root apps include Android Tuner, Tasker, Juice Defender Ultimate, ROM Manager, Root Explorer, Titanium Backup and others.