Minecraft

Hey guys!

This isn't really new news but I thought I'd put out there that I have a kick-ass minecraft server thanks to @qwertyoruiop :)
It has minimum 1024M RAM with permission to go up to 8GiB if it want to. It runs on a quad core i5 with a super-fast internet connection. To get started head to minecraft and add the server cake.blackthund3r.co.uk - yes you read it right. Cake :D The name of the server is thund3rShadowLand (it is the old ShadowLand server rebuilt by yours truly and REPLACES vps.blackthund3r.co.uk (RIP VPS!!!)) and is the new cake (cake.qwertyoruiop.com is the same thing - in fact I am merely CNAME'd to it :P). Backups are 30-minutely and anti-grief tools are implemented and sophisticated. Every 12 hours a backup is uploaded to my FTP. These backups are so that if cake is messed up no more than half a day's work will be lost and if there is irreparable griefing (or a massive server issue) the whole server (plugins, craftbukkit and all) can be rolled back in half-hour intervals. Major props to @qwertyoruiop for allowing me to do this :D


On connecting you will be unable to move. If this is your first visit, simply type /register - this is to stop people with cracked versions of minecraft stealing your username whilst still allowing them to play. On logging on in the future you can login with /login . Next bit of info: newcomers cannot build. Please speak to a moderator and say you're new and the mod will make you a member of 'Regulars'. Regulars are basically builders. Ask an op or above for a gamemode change. TNT will not detonate so don't try it!


The server is a mix of survival and creative. Mobs spawn but they do not do damage so you are safe to build stuff out of wool if it so pleases you and a creeper will not destroy it! Griefers are not welcome but feel free to pick a spot and build :) You may use creative gates - ask an op first though please as many of the materials are used already.


Enjoy and see you on 'Teh Cake'! ;)


~blackthund3r

Android lolz

The Android OS Lifecycle for Non-Scene-Members

Stage 1

• Google work on a private update that is under wraps
• Information about this update is leaked
• Google announce new Android release
• Google push release to official Android source tree

Stage 2

• Device manufacturers start to take an extremely long time to update their modified version of Android for their specific device
• Hacking community released build one of the new version of Android for each device one by one. Usually a beta and buggy

Stage 3

• More betas from the hacking community are released
• Manufacturers staying quiet

Stage 4

• Roughly the same as stage 3
• More modded releases are announced; become less buggy

Stage 5

• Cyanagon mod eventually comes out with a pre-release before the manufacturer.
• At this point there are now 2+ alternative mods for the device
• By now mods of mods have been made as well as mods of those mods and various other tweaks, mods and ROMs for those releasess

Stage 6

• Even more ROMs come out and start competing as well as a sh*t load more mods of mods
• The community is confuzzled
• The manufacturer is still behind

Some time goes by......

Stage 7

• Manufacturer eventually releases their version of the new update
• Release is usually pared down

Stage 8

• Modstock and various rooting tools become available for the update
• ROMs are stiill being updated
• At this point you have official, modstock, official + rooting tool, Cyanagon mod and some custom ROMs

Stage 9

• People are happy!!!!

Stage 10

• Google pushes a surprise update............................
• Go figure out the next bit

Why is this funny / relevant?
Because, although a bit over the top, it's true. Don't get me wrong here but Android is clearly a ridiculously fragmented OS. Such a shame the manufacturers can't work much harder with Google to push updates out faster. Sorry, but iOS just pwns in this area because there is ONE tree. ONE update for each device and a few jailbreak toold but only ONE custom firmware. Otherwise Android is cool.

~blackthund3r

iOS5.0.1 UDIDead

And the betas just keep coming, eh?! Well only in the last few days two more betas of iOS5.0.1 have been released (betas 1 and 2). For completeness I have created a bundle for both although for obvious reasons beta 2 is recommended over beta 1:
Beta 1 bundle: http://cl.ly/BZaz
Beta 2 bundle: http://cl.ly/BYLm


The current redsn0w will only recognise the b1 IPSW. Therefore you muse download both beta 1 and beta 2 in order to use UDIDead on b2:
1) Restore your iDevice to iOS5.0.1b2 in iTunes 10.5.1b2
2) Load up redsn0w with the -S command line argument as before
3) Choose the beta 1 IPSW
4) Choose the beta 2 bundle
5) Run redsn0w and activate in iTunes :)
As with the 5.0 betas Safari & Mail should work too. And yes I am still looking into the Siri port situation. @StanTheRipper has a package called 'SiriSn0w' which has the Siri GUI but not functional port. Also the package breaks copyright laws though if you don't mind having that on your conscience install it by all means though it is not finished. Your iDevice may need a restore after installing if you are unlucky. I take no responsibility for the use of it but if you're interested it exists. I have a system that may allow connection to Apple's servers but I need to test it all myself. I'll keep you all posted :)


~blackthund3r

WhatsApp 2.6.x on iPod touch

WhatsApp is an instant messenger service for the iPhone (and previously) the iPod touch & iPad. For some reason unbeknown to me they removed (in a recent update) iPod touch. Luckily, being the pro haxx0r that I am (:P) I found a way around this :) REQUIRED JAILBROKEN iPOD
1) Download (using iTunes) the latest update to WhatsApp
2) Right-click the app in iTunes and choose 'Show in Explorer'
3) MAKE A BACKUP OF THE IPA the close iTunes
4) Use 7-Zip/WinRAR/any other zip browser to open the .ipa before extracting Payload/WhatsApp.app/Info.plist and open it in a plist editor
5) Scroll down to the bottom and remove the whole dict that says something to do with RequiredCapabilites (right from the down to the )
6) Save the Info.plist and overwrite the one in the iPA
7) Now the update will sync in iTunes
8) You'll find you can't enter a phone number in WhatsApp yet. Fire up Cydia and install WhatsPad (yes it says iPad but install it anyway)
9) Respring when installed
10) Enjoy WhatsApp on your iPod touch! :)

~blackthund3r

Siri and iOS 5 GM

Just a quick post to let you all know: 1) iOS 5 GM was released last night. It doesn't require UDIDead to install on iPhones / iPods / iPads which have no UDID registered. There is no developer check in this release 2) As soon as the iPhone 4S firmware is out and decrypted I plan to look into the Siri feature. Devs have told us that much of it exists in the iPhone 4 FW already under the name of 'Assistant' but it can't be used. As soon as the FW gets available I'll see what I can do. Hopefully 0wnSiri will exist :) we can only see. Getting an iPad 2 port shouldn't pose a problem (Since it has the same CPU) and perhaps A4 devices too but if the code references certain parts of the hardware patching may have to occur (which we don't want if possible) but at this stage it's almost impossible to know =/ I'll keep y'all posted. Before releasing I'll test on my iPhone 3GS and iPod touch 4. If successful y'all be the first to know! ~Christopher

iCloud on Mac OS X 10.7 Server

iCloud betas (for as long as I remember - in fact we're up to beta 8 on mac now!!!) will flat out refuse to install on Mac OS X 10.7.x Server. They will yield an error about not vein compatible but I have a way!! For iCloud beta 8 (command you type are in bold italics):
1) Fire up Terminal and type sudo -s and enter your password
2) Type cd /System/Library/CoreServices
3) Type mv ServerVersion.plist ServerVersion.plist.bak
4) Fire up the 10.7.2 installer (current release is 11C40) and install normally but DO NOT RESTART WHEN INSTALLER SAYS SO OR YOU WILL GET A KERNEL PANIC ON BOOT
5) Type (in Terminal) mv ServerVersion.plist.bak ServerVersion.plist
6) Now allow Installer to reboot your Mac / hackint0sh
7) Once booted, repeat steps 1, 2 and 3
8) Fire up the iCloud beta 8 install pkg and DO NOT RESTART WHEN INSTALLER SAYS SO OR YOU WILL GET A KERNEL PANIC ON BOOT
9) Repeat step 5
10) Allow Installer to reboot your machine
11) Enjoy iCloud beta!!


Proof it works for me: http://cl.ly/2f2d473X0U3E2E3C0S3P


Please Note: this procedure has worked great for me but I cannot guarantee it'll work for you. I take ABSOLUTELY NO RESPONSIBILITY for you, your equipment or anything else for that matter. You follow this guide at your own risk. Please ensure you have a reliable backup of your data before trying this (you are modifying system files in this guide - BEWARE!!)


Please don't pirate Apple software


UPDATE #1: This method is working for me with the new release of 10.7.2 build 11C43 with iCloud b9. Full method:

1) Fire up Terminal and type sudo -s and enter your password

2) Type cd /System/Library/CoreServices

3) Type mv ServerVersion.plist ServerVersion.plist.bak

4) Fire up the 10.7.2 installer (current release is 11C43) and install normally but DO NOT RESTART WHEN INSTALLER SAYS SO OR YOU WILL GET A KERNEL PANIC ON BOOT

5) Type (in Terminal) mv ServerVersion.plist.bak ServerVersion.plist; exit

6) Now allow Installer to reboot your Mac / hackint0sh

7) Once booted, repeat steps 1, 2 and 3

8) Fire up the iCloud beta 9 install pkg and DO NOT RESTART WHEN INSTALLER SAYS SO OR YOU WILL GET A KERNEL PANIC ON BOOT

9) Repeat step 5

10) Allow Installer to reboot your machine

11) Enjoy iCloud beta 9!!

UPDATE #2: Mac OS X 10.7.2 build 11C62 is working great with this method :) In this build iCloud, Safari 5.1.1 and 10.7.2 are all bundled into one package. Method: 

1) Fire up Terminal and type sudo -s and enter your password

2) Type cd /System/Library/CoreServices

3) Type mv ServerVersion.plist ServerVersion.plist.bak

4) Open the 11C62 DMG and install the Reversioner package (to reversion to 10.7.1; required)

5) Load the other DMG (inside the main one and install the main 10.7.2 package. This contains iCloud, Safari 5.1.1 and the updates in one nice pkg. Once finished DO NOT REBOOT BECAUSE YOU WILL GET A KERNEL PANIC ON BOOT

6) Type (in Terminal) mv ServerVersion.plist.bak ServerVersion.plist; exit to restore the ServerVersion file

7) It is now safe to allow the Installer to reboot your Mac / hackint0sh (just press the restart button)

8) Enjoy 10.7.2 11C62! :)


LATE UPDATE #3: To install 10.7.2, just install the Mac OS X Server 10.7.2 Update Package from the Apple website (over the top of the GM). It should just install like it did for me. No Terminal hacks or anything and Server will be updated from 10.7.0 => 10.7.2 as well :)

iOS5 beta 3 Activation. NO VoiceOver hack. NO UDID. Just PURE Awesomeness!!

Okay guys I'm really excited today because I have iOS5 beta 3, but not just that but:

• My 3GS legit activated via iTunes
• Safari & Mail work
• iCloud, Multitasking, iMessage, push etc. all work
• My iPhone is NOT registered on ANY dev account
• I'm gonna share the knowledge :)

This method is nothing new. No exploits. Just pure awesomeness. And we call it UDIDead (n.b. this will hopefully be wrapped into a sexy tool in the future but we need kernel patches and other cr*p so my team are not gonna release anything like that any time soon). Please note that this guide is for educational purposes only and is intended to teach you about some of the inner workings of iOS betas

Step 1

First things first - get the prerequisites:

1. The iOS5b3 IPSW. Get this from your Apple dev friend. I never condone piracy of any kind. Sure if you wanna torrent it I can't stop you but Apple employees work VERY hard on this stuff. For beta 3 the build number is 9A5259f
2. Any iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch 3G (32 or 64 gig version), iPod touch 4, iPad (NOT iPad 2 because there is no public exploit for this above user land level and NOTHING for iOS5)
3. Redsn0w 0.9.8b3 (latest public version) from http://blog.iphone-dev.org/redsn0w-iOS5
4. Windows or Mac
5. iTunes 10.5beta3 from Apple. Same rules about the IPSW in Step 1 apply
6. My custom bundle that removes the dev check - http://cl.ly/8MEe (if Safari unzips it to a .tar from a .tar.gz this is okay)
7. A FULL backup of your iDevice in iTunes. Restoring and general tinkering is involved. Please note that I take no responsibility for the consequences incurred by following this guide

Okay so you've got that stuff now? Fantastic. Time for Phase 2

Step 2

• Restore your iPhone / iPod / iPad to iOS5 beta 3 in iTunes by holding shift (windows) or alt/option (mac) and kicking restore. Choose the beta 3 IPSW downloaded in Step 1. Please note this WILL update your baseband if you're on an iPhone / iPad so make sure you don't need an unlock (i.e. ultrasn0w before doing this)
• Once it is restored and you get the 'Unable to complete your activation' message, close iTunes

Step 3

So you're on iOS5 and you can't activate? FUN TIME!

• Fire up command prompt on Windows or Terminal on mac and type the following:
• cd /path/to/extracted/zip/file
• If you're on Mac type EXACTLY:
• open ./redsn0w.app --args -S
• If you're on Windows, however, type
• redsn0w.exe -S
• Now select the IPSW downloaded in Step 1 in redsn0w and press Next. Uncheck 'Install Cydia' and Check 'Install custom bundle'. Choose my bundle downloaded in Step 1
• Now press 'Next' and follow the instructions to put your iDevice into DFU mode. Let the jailbreak run
• If your iPhone comes up with lots of 'Please wait...'s on the screen THAT'S FINE. It did it for ~2 mins for me once. If it does it for more that 5 mins hold home+power for ten secs and do this step again
• the jailbreak will be quick once the running pwnapple comes up because stashing is DISABLED :D
• Once your iDevice reboots you have pwned the UDID check and installed AFC2 and the fstab patch (so enjoy iPhone explorer / iFunBox etc) :D:D:D

Step 4

• Fire up iTunes again. You will then get 'iPhone', 'iPod' or 'iPad' on the screen for a few seconds. Once it asks you if you want to set up as a new device or restore from backup you have activated it!
• Slide to set up on your iDevice and follow the steps until it asks what you want to do for data. Either set up as a new device, restore from iCloud (if you've backed up but the servers may have been purged since then) or tap restore from iTunes. Then go to iTunes and restore your backup, sync your stuff and enjoy iOS5!
• REMEMBER!! This is BETA SOFTWARE! It may be buggy - HENCE BETA!

~Christopher (@blackthund3r)


EDIT / NOTE 1: Yesterday iOS5b4 was released to developers. Those who used this guide (or redsn0w generally), since the RootFS has been patched even a slight bit, will NOT be able to update OTA. Update to iOS5b4 in iTunes instead with an IPSW of 5.0b4 (build 9A5274d) from Apple (this works even if you've jailbroken. If you get issues just enter recovery mode yourself). Make sure you:
1) Sync / backup in iTunes b3 / iOS5b3
2) Update iTunes to 10.5b4 (b60 internally)
3) Restore to iOS5b4 (WARNING: THIS WILL UPDATE YOUR BASBEBAND HERE BE DRAGONSSS!!!). Your iDevice will not activate if you have not got your UDID registered
4) Download the new redsn0w beta (0.9.8b4) from http://blog.iphone-dev.org/redsn0w-iOS5
5) Download my b4 bundle from http://cl.ly/8gxc
6) Open redsn0w as described above (with the -S argument)
7) Check ONLY install custom bundle, choose iOS5b4redsn0wbundle.tar.gz from step 6
8) Jailbreak with the bundle
9) Restore data from backup and sync in iTunes (which will be on b4 from step 2)
~blackthund3r (Christopher)
P.S. I've noticed that iOS5b4 is far better performance-wise and I highly recommend you update to it from iOS5b3 if you can


EDIT / NOTE 2:
iOS5b5 was seeded to developers a few days ago. With this release I have done the honours and packaged up another redsn0w bundle for the firmware. iOS5b5 is predominantly bug fixes. The bundle is available at http://cl.ly/9GMf - just follow the standard procedure and let me know in the comments how it goes :) Oh, and a new beta of redsn0w was released for iOS5b5 too which is available at http://blog.iphone-dev.org/redn0w-iOS5 along with a new beta of iTunes (10.5b5) to support the new version of iOS5
My iPhone is restoring now - I'll edit once done to let y'all know how it goes :)
EDIT: UDIDead worked a treat for the fifth time in a row and my iPhone 3GS is now restoring from backup on iOS5 beta 5 :) so full routine is:

1) Sync / backup in iTunes b4 / iOS5b4

2) Update iTunes to 10.5b5

3) Restore to iOS5b5 (WARNING: THIS WILL UPDATE YOUR BASBEBAND SO IF YOU NEED AN UNLOCK DON'T BE FEARLESS ABOUT THIS iTUNES DOESN'T CARE IF YOU WERE THE HOLIDAY LIMBO WINNER / BUILT A BUSINESS FROM A LOAF OF BREAD / DRINK LEMONADE VIA YOUR NOSE IT JUST DOES IT K?!?!). Your iDevice will not activate if you have not got your UDID registered (which is why you are reading this)

4) Download the new redsn0w beta (0.9.8b5) from http://blog.iphone-dev.org/redsn0w-iOS5

5) Download my b5 bundle from http://cl.ly/9GMf

6) Open redsn0w as described above (with the -S argument)

7) Check ONLY install custom bundle, choose iOS5b5Redsn0wBundle.tar.gz from step 5

8) Jailbreak with the bundle WITHOUT installing Cydia (this means Safari / Mail will work but obv. if you want jailbreak features go ahead but the JB is tethered and UDIDead cannot fix this =/)

9) Restore data from backup and sync in iTunes (which will be on b5 from step 2)

10) Comment and tell me how b5 is and how you got on :)

~blackthund3r (Christopher)

EDIT / NOTE 3:
Apple seeded iOS5b6 to developers today. This update is available OTA to registered devs but for those of us on UDIDead, we must restore with iTunes again to this new IPSW :(

As of yet, the iPhone dev team have not released a build of redsn0w for beta 6 but if you point redsn0w at the beta 5 IPSW with the new beta 6 bundle you should have success. Let me know how it goes :) So procedure is:

1) Sync / backup in iTunes b5 / iOS5b5

2) Update iTunes to 10.5b6

3) Restore to iOS5b6 (WARNING: THIS WILL UPDATE YOUR BASBEBAND SO IF YOU NEED AN UNLOCK DON'T BE FEARLESS ABOUT THIS iTUNES DOESN'T CARE IF YOU WERE THE HOLIDAY LIMBO WINNER / BUILT A BUSINESS FROM A LOAF OF BREAD / DRINK LEMONADE VIA YOUR NOSE IT JUST DOES IT K?!?!). Your iDevice will not activate if you have not got your UDID registered (which is why you are reading this)

4) Download the redsn0w beta for iOS5b5 (0.9.8b5) from http://blog.iphone-dev.org/redsn0w-iOS5. If 0.9.8b6 is out by the time you read this use that instead

5) Download my b6 bundle from http://cl.ly/9RBa

6) Open redsn0w as described above (with the -S argument). If you are using the beta for iOS5b5 point redsn0w at the iOS5b5 IPSW. If a beta is out for b6 (probably 0.9.8b6) point it at the beta 6 IPSW.

7) Check ONLY install custom bundle, choose iOS5b6Redsn0wBundle.tar.gz from step 5

8) Jailbreak with the bundle WITHOUT installing Cydia (this means Safari / Mail will work but obv. if you want jailbreak features go ahead but the JB is tethered and UDIDead cannot fix this =/)

9) Restore data from backup and sync in iTunes (which will be on b6 from step 2)

10) Comment and tell me how b6 is and how you got on :)

~blackthund3r (Christopher)

EDIT / NOTE 4: Many websites have publicised this method of jailbreaking iOS5b6 though many people have caused their devices to enter a recovery mode loop requiring a fresh restore to exit. Even I will be waiting for an announcement from the iPhone Dev Team. This error is caused by, for the nerds, uploading an older (i.e. beta 5) iBSS / iBEC / kernel on a newer firmware (i.e. beta 6). I do not understand why this is but it caused the device (in my case an iPhone) to almost 'freak out' and a restore is needed. In this state communicating with the device is difficult via iRecovery and it's not possible to boot the device. This is new in iOS5. Although the patches in all the betas are the same (literally basic sig checks and in the kernel execution patches too) the device requires corresponding files to be uploaded (i.e. iOS5b5 MUST have only an iOS5b5 iBSS / iBEC / kernel or it will cause it to fail and need a restore). I discovered why the restores are needed the hard way. You're more than welcome to try the redsn0w 0.9.8b5 method but be prepared to re-restore. I take no responsibility for your equipment

EDIT / NOTE 5: redsn0w for iOS5b6 has been release by the dev team. New instructions:

1) Sync / backup in iTunes b5 / iOS5b5

2) Update iTunes to 10.5b6

3) Restore to iOS5b6 (WARNING: THIS WILL UPDATE YOUR BASBEBAND SO IF YOU NEED AN UNLOCK DON'T BE FEARLESS ABOUT THIS iTUNES DOESN'T CARE IF YOU WERE THE HOLIDAY LIMBO WINNER / BUILT A BUSINESS FROM A LOAF OF BREAD / DRINK LEMONADE VIA YOUR NOSE IT JUST DOES IT K?!?! EVEN IF YOU SAY 'DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!?!'). Your iDevice will not activate if you have not got your UDID registered (which is why you are reading this)

4) Download the redsn0w beta for iOS5b6 (0.9.8b6) from http://blog.iphone-dev.org/redsn0w-iOS5. 

5) Download my b6 bundle from http://cl.ly/9RBa

6) Switch your iDevice off using 'Slide to Power Off' with the cable connected (v. important

7) Open redsn0w as described above (with the -S argument). Select the b6 IPSW

7) Check ONLY install custom bundle, choose iOS5b6Redsn0wBundle.tar.gz from step 5

8) Jailbreak with the bundle WITHOUT installing Cydia (this means Safari / Mail will work but obv. if you want jailbreak features go ahead but the JB is tethered and UDIDead cannot fix this =/)

9) Restore data from backup and sync in iTunes (which will be on b6 from step 2)

10) Comment and tell me how b6 is and how you got on :)

~blackthund3r (Christopher)

EDIT 6:  iOS5b7 has been seeded to developers today. Jailbreaking this version of iOS is possible with redsn0w 0.9.8b7 (by pointing at the beta 6 IPSW). The OTA update, although is offered to UDIDead'd phones, will not install (and will just come up with an error after downloading). You will need (downloaded):
1) iTunes 10.5 beta 7 (from Apple)
2) iOS5b6 IPSW
3) iOS5b7 IPSW
4) redsn0w 0.9.8b7 (http://blog.iphone-dev.org/redsn0w)
5) My beta 7 bundle: http://cl.ly/9nl8
6) AN iDEVICE COMPATIBLE WITH iOS 5 :D

1) Sync / backup in iTunes b6 / iOS5b6

2) Update iTunes to 10.5b7

3) Restore to iOS5b7 (). Your iDevice will not activate if you have not got your UDID registered (which is why you are reading this)

4) Download the redsn0w beta for iOS5b5 (0.9.8b7) from http://blog.iphone-dev.org/redsn0w-iOS5. 

5) Download my b7 bundle from http://cl.ly/9nl8

6) Switch your iDevice off using 'Slide to Power Off' with the cable connected (v. important)

7) Open redsn0w with the -S command line argument (open Command Prompt and type redsn0w.exe -S or type (in terminal) open redsn0w.app --args -S) 

8) Check ONLY install custom bundle, choose iOS5b7Redsn0wBundle.tar.gz from step 5

9) Jailbreak with the bundle WITHOUT installing Cydia (this means Safari / Mail will work but obv. if you want jailbreak features go ahead but the JB is tethered and UDIDead cannot fix this =/)

10) Restore data from backup and sync in iTunes (which will be on b7 from step 2)

11) Comment and tell me how b7 is and how you got on :)

~blackthund3r (Christopher)


EDIT 7: The iPhone dev team released redsn0w 0.9.8b7b today. This 'half-release' brings an untethered jailbreak to iPhone 3GS owners with the old bootrom. It also allows jailbreaking b7 without pointing to the b6 IPSW. Should be easy enough for you guys to figure out what to do :)
~blackthund3r

dropwn

So what's been happening recently? well myself, @StanTheRipper, @russ1an and co have been working on a new jailbreak - @dropwn. Dropwn is the easiest ever way to create custom IPSWs - see http://dropwn.StanTheRipper.com for more details :D

~blackthund3r