How To Root An Android Device

ARL-TN-0706 ● SEP 2015
US Army Research Laboratory
Rooting an Android Device

by Ken F Yu
Approved for public release; distribution unlimited.

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ARL-TN-0706 ● SEP 2015
Rooting an Android Device

by Ken F Yu
Computational and Information Sciences Directorate, ARL

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4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER
Rooting an Android Device W911QX-14-F-0020
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6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER

Ken F Yu
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12. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES
14. ABSTRACT
This document provides a step-by-step guide on how to root an Android device, which allows the user to have “superuser”
capability with the device.
15. SUBJECT TERMS

ELIDe, Android, pcap
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Ken F Yu
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Contents
1. Overview 1
2. Configurations Used 1
3. Rooting Android Devices 1

3.1 Step 1—Set Up Android ADT 2
3.2 Step 2—Set Up USB Driver on Host Computer 2
3.3 Step 3—Enable Android Debugging 2
3.4 Step 4—Get Saferoot 2
3.5 Step 5—Rooting Android 2
4. Conclusion 3
5. Notes 4
Distribution List 5
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iv
1. Overview
The purpose of this document is to demonstrate how to gain administrative

privileges on an Android device. The term “rooting” is defined as a process of
gaining administrative commands and functions of an operating system (OS). In
order to monitor live network traffic on any Linux-based or, in this case, Android
system, it is necessary to have administrative rights to gain access to any of the
hardware devices, such as the Wi-Fi connection.
2. Configurations Used
The following is a list of software and hardware used for development and testing:
• Operating System: Red Hat Enterprise Linux, version 6.5
• Android Development Tools (ADT), version 22.3.0-887826

• Saferoot1
• Samsung Galaxy S3
• Dell Precision T7400

o 8-GB Memory
o Intel Xeon X5472 Central Processing Unit (CPU)
 64-bit quad and dual-core
 3.0 GHz
3. Rooting Android Devices
The rooting method used for the Samsung Galaxy S3 is called Saferoot1—a well-
known, open- source software. According to the Saferoot website, the process of
rooting the device may void the manufacturer’s warranty; therefore, use this feature
at your own risk. Because any manufacturer can have its own modified version of
an Android OS, there is no guarantee that the Saferoot method will work with all
Android devices. Moreover, this Saferoot rooting method is applicable for the
Samsung Galaxy S3 as well as many other Android devices, but there are several
steps involved in rooting an Android device (as shown on the next page). Most of
these steps will be the same for all Android devices.
1
3.1 Step 1—Set Up Android ADT
Download the Android Software Development Kit (SDK).2 Install the ADT from
the SDK.
3.2 Step 2—Set Up USB Driver on Host Computer

Before any communication between the host and Android device can be
established, the host computer must have the ability to “access” the Android device.
Fortunately, the Red Hat-based system already has a built-in USB driver to access
the Samsung device. For other OS host computers, the USB driver may have to be
downloaded from the manufacturer’s support site. Once the USB driver is installed,
the OS should be able to recognize the device. When the connection between the
host client and the Android device is made, use Android Debugging Bridge (adb)
by typing “adb devices” and it should list the device as part of the connected list.
3.3 Step 3—Enable Android Debugging

Before an Android device can be used for rooting, the debugging mode must be
turned on. To enable this feature on an Android device, go to “Settings” and then
“About Phone” or “About tablet”. Find “Build Number”, then tab on the “Build
Number” 7 times or until develop mode is enabled. Once the developer option is
visible, make sure the “USB Debugging” mode is checked.
3.4 Step 4—Get Saferoot
Download the Saferoot1 package. Unzip the archived file.
3.5 Step 5—Rooting Android

The Saferoot package should contain scripts for installing tools that grant root
privileges for both Windows and Linux. For the Linux system, open a shell window
and use “cd” command to change the directory where the Saferoot files are. Type
the “sh ./install.sh” command, and the install script will ask for installation of
BusyBox.3 BusyBox is an open-source program that provides another set of Linux
shell utilities, which the average Unix user would expect to see on a typical
Unix/Linux system. If the shell (terminal emulator or adb shell) is not needed, then
you may not want to install BusyBox; however, it is advisable to install BusyBox.
SuperSU is part of the BusyBox installation:
• If SuperSU asks you to update the su binary, choose the “Normal” method.
• If SuperSU asks you to disable KNOX, allow it.
2
This method will not set the KNOX warranty-void flag, according to the author of
Saferoot. However, it will set the “Custom” flag, which should not affect phone
operation.
Ensure that the phone or tablet is on and active while the rooting process is
underway, and monitor the Android device and host computer for progress of the
script to determine whether the installation succeeded or failed. Do not unplug the
phone unless prompted by the rooting script. Be sure to leave the device connected
to the host until the process has been completed. If the device is successfully rooted,
the “su” utility should be installed and allow root access to the device using “adb”.
To verify whether the device was properly rooted, type “adb shell” on the host
client, then the “$” prompt should appear. Type the “su” command, and the prompt
should change to “#” to show that root access has been granted.
4. Conclusion
This document serves as a tutorial on how to grant user administrative privilege to

an Android device by employing the rooting method. Once it is rooted, the device
will allow the user to freely access and manipulate all software within the device.
Caution must be taken when employing this method.
3
5. Notes
1. Saferoot: Root for VRUEMJ7, MK2, and Android 4.3. [accessed 2014 Dec
04] http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2565758.
2. Get the Android SDK. [accessed 2014 Dec 04]

http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html.
3. BusyBox. [accessed 2014 Dec 04] http://www.busybox.net.
4
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ARL-TN-0706 ● SEP 2015

US Army Research Laboratory

Rooting an Android Device

Approved for public release; distribution unlimited.

Citation of manufacturer’s or trade names does not constitute an official

US Army Research Laboratory

Rooting an Android Device

Approved for public release; distribution unlimited.

1. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY) 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED (From - To)

5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER

6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER

5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER

7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER

11. SPONSOR/MONITOR'S REPORT NUMBER(S)

12. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

15. SUBJECT TERMS

3. Rooting Android Devices 1

The purpose of this document is to demonstrate how to gain administrative

• Operating System: Red Hat Enterprise Linux, version 6.5

• Android Development Tools (ADT), version 22.3.0-887826

• Dell Precision T7400

3. Rooting Android Devices

3.2 Step 2—Set Up USB Driver on Host Computer

3.3 Step 3—Enable Android Debugging

3.4 Step 4—Get Saferoot

Download the Saferoot1 package. Unzip the archived file.

3.5 Step 5—Rooting Android

• If SuperSU asks you to disable KNOX, allow it.

This document serves as a tutorial on how to grant user administrative privilege to

2. Get the Android SDK. [accessed 2014 Dec 04]

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