The open source code of the Android operating system is available for both users and developers, but of course all handsets have secrets and applications cannot access all details for security reasons, thus avoiding malware rendering the phone useless. However, when having root access (administrator rights), all features of the phone and the full file system are accessible, but there is no theoretical chance to gain these rights. But there is practically. A member of the xda-developers forums, after downloading and running PTerminal from Android Market, has accessed the T-Mobile network and logged in through telnet, running on his own computer. After this procedure the full file system of the phone is accessible from the computer, but it's not advised to tamper with anything. The security flaw can be exploited for external attacks only if someone uses PTerminal on the phone. When inquired by The Register, Google has told that they are working on a patch for the security flaw.
Translated by Szaszati
