The Makiav3llian Enchantment…

So you are renewing your Emirates National ID and don’t know where to start… Well basically, everything starts here. Now after reading through it, close it and try to forget everything you just read. Why you say? Well basically, the only useful information you have there are the costs. Here is a list of things you should know when renewing your national ID.

• Prefereably, the National ID validity expires on the date when you visa expires, thus, the visa and national ID are in sync. (Side comment - It makes sense to carry a copy of your visa copy than paying 370AED for this, what is the use of the labor card?)
• Upon renewal, you will be paying 100AED per each valid visa year. That means, you will pay 300AED when you get your visa renewed with your National ID as well. If you do not renew immediately and let one year pass by, you will pay based on the number of years your visa is valid, which is 200.
• Typing centers charge 30AED the typing service, you pay 100AED per each valid visa year (300AED total) and 40AED electronic processing totalling to 370AED. An amount which I find really hard to let go.
• The National D is mostly good for well, identification, there is hardly anything I believe this can be used with except for renewing your car license and applying for bank transactions.

So, here is a story I have to tell. When you renew your National ID, you are NOT required to visit the Emirates ID Authority (EIDA). To make your life simple you can actually go and visit a typing center and ask if they offer National ID renewal. From there, you can pay the entire amount and be of your merry way. The only time you will go to the EIDA is when you are applying for the first time as finger prints and photo is required for first time registration. Children maybe required to come back until they have a permanent face (,”) since their facial features and fingerprints are still maturing.
The typing center actually has the facility to renew your National ID, and the truth is, there is an application form being filled up contrary to what is mentioned on the website. The thing is that the form is electronic, the typing center pays the government for this facility thus, even if you know how to type in Arabic and such, you still will not be able to renew on your own. It is important that when you go there, you have the following information or items:

1. Expired National ID.
2. Passport with visa (renewed visa) and preferably NOT a copy but the passport itself.
3. Your Mother’s Full name.
4. A Working Mobile number.
5. An idea of your living location. Try to have a specific address but knowing the area where you live help.
6. 370AED. Nothing more, nothing less.
7. Patience. When the guys says you can come back after an hour, stay or go back in 30 minutes because their might be some question the typist needs to ask.

The end result…

So reading through the fine print and a bit of common sense which I failed to realize until was standing in front of an EIDA officer.

• You are NOT required to visit any of the EIDA service centers.
• You will be notifed by SMS if you are required to update any information on your records if it is incorrect. Corrections can be made throught the typing center (typo erros and such) you have visited and will be free of charge. 5AED will be charged if you go to another typing center.
• You will be notified by SMS if you are required to update your photo or finger print, you will need to vist an EIDA service center.
• Your expired National ID will be pierced by a puncher and handed back to you.
• The new expiry date will reflect on your receipt.
• Two piece of paper will be given to you, one containing the information of your renewal and another one containing the fees you have paid.
• Two SMS messages will be sent to you, one informing you about the status of your National ID and availability of pickup from the Post Office, however as far as I know this should be delivered to you by courier.
• It might take a month or more for your new National ID to be delivered.

EOL stands for End Of Life which is usually what you use to describe how your purchased items has become old. EOL is also what this Family Radio organization thought would be happening last Saturday, end of the world, the apocalypse, the rapturelast Saturday, end of the world, the apocalypse, the rapture. I am writing this blog on the 23rd of May and I am still here. I am not making fun of the whole fiasco but rather concerned and frustrated at what these types of things actually do. If you ask me, this is not a false prediction but more of a hoax. It isn’t about getting things right or wrong really but more of what people actually do when they are not informed properly or given a false sense or truth. This organization spent millions of dollars enough to make a very big contribution to charity and possibly change the lives of people living in poverty. What is even worse is that this was not the money of Harold Camping, it was money of people who were following him and his radio. It would be unfair to call his followers dumb but this is what happens when you get a pragmatic and charismatic but I will not spend time lambasting them.
I just wanted to rant so that people will realize that when you believe in something so blindly, you will falter. Look at what could have happened to his followers:

1. Gave up all their riches so finance their project in broadcasting this news.Gave up all their riches so finance their project in broadcasting this news. These people most probably gave up half there riches and now that nothing has happened, it has put a huge hole in their pocket which they might never get back.
2. Became a ridicule in their society because of their belief. It actually puts their belief system in bad light.What do you do to your follwers now that this has failed for the second time?
3. What would be the world’s reaction if a group of his followers committed suicide just to be saved? Cults are notorious for having blind followers, this has the potential and in an even larger scale.
4. Would you imagine how many unplanned pregnancies might have happened here? I mean it is the perfect time to take advantage of getting some before the world ends.
5. Riots it could have caused as people would be hording on the basic needs and necessities to survive.

Honestly, even though things didn’t turn out the way it was predicted, I am glad it didn’t. I am just a little bit peeved off because it has caused trouble to a few million people. And while a lot of people realized how valuable their lives are and that we should be thankful for each day we are given to live, they should also realize that the TV is not just the idiot box here, the radio and the web (yes, social media), is something that can do more harm than good if not used properly. I do firmly believe that someone should man up and take responsiblity for this. There was a potential that this thing could have gone for the worse, thankfully it didn’t.
Unfortunately, OOOOHHHH YYYYEEEEAAAAHHHH!!!!I think people may not have heard the news that macho Man Randy Savage gave up his life to meet God in heaven and stop he rapture from happening. May you rest in peace Macho Man!!! OOOOOHHHHH YYYYEEEEAAAAHHHH!

I guess I wanted to get back into blogging a bit, I mean I bought a real fancy keyboard and I should make good use for it. It’s been like 8 months since my activity but of course most of the people who do read my blogs come here simply to get info on the embassy stuff and how to get their police clearances. On another note, well I really just did poorly with time management, as many would know I am a certified computer addict who actually prefers to be doing stuff on my computer than actually getting a life. A lot of things have gone by like me losing a lot on my accommodation allowances, selling my old laptop, building a new rig, getting my fancy keyboard, Epic Rap Battles of History and best of all, seeing my wife and two lovely and makulit na daughters. It’s been a blast and I think it is time for the world to know about it, well maybe not, but since I don’t have a Facebook account, I guess this the only way people will know how I have been doing.
It’s really funny how things have turned out as of late. I love the place I work in really. Being able to work with Emiratis and a lot of people has really been a good turn for me. Although it hasn’t been really an eye opener for me, it is actually good to know that my stereotypical view of Arab work ethics has changed some how, there are Arabs here who really work. Particularly in my department, though we aren’t plenty, I’ve been blessed that there are only one or two bad seeds or as I would say, magulang with regards to work. Anyways, the reason I blogged today was to simply state out some funny facts on how life has been at work. I have also craved for attention, to some extent I actually wanted to be a singer or an actor, unfortunately, I wasn’t blessed with the best voice, the best I could do was a Liam Gallagher Wonderwall impression and I wasn’t really blessed with good looks either. The only thing I carried with me was my dimples, a sense of humor and the knowledge I carry on this old fat head of mine. I am a nerd, what can I do about it?
Fortunately from time to time, I get called by people in the hospital to do some errands and these are people I don’t even know. Majority of the people I know by face but the coolest thing is that they know my name. To put things simply, my reputation clearly exceeds me. As one of the better technical support or “bail-me-out” technician in my department, my skill set apparently is that good that people have asked for me to do IT repairs for them. It’s fun knowing that when I get back to my office someone is looking for me or a friendly tap on the shoulders asking me that my services are required. Simply said, I am quite proud of what I have done to get myself to where I am at work and outside of it. I’ve manage to satisfy each and every inquiry about what was asked for me and by word of mouth, my legend spreads. From jailbreaking iphones/iPad, formatting laptops or just being an insurance plan to major projects, my reputation precedes me!

This is the 4th day of Ramadan and I just realized how difficult and testing this month of Ramadan will be for our Muslim brothers and sisters. It’s not just that it is that time of year where they fast from dawn till dusk but that this year and the following 3 - 4 years will have Ramadan in summer.
Summer is practically the longest time of year in our calendar and just an approximate, UAE summer times start from 430 to 1900. That is a total of fifteen and a half hours of no water and food at the time of year where temperatures hit 45C at noon and an average of 35C the whole day. So if you think about it, with very little food in your belly, we as Christians and non muslims should be a little more tolerant when dealing with our Muslim colleagues as this time of year isn’t easy.
As to everyone, enjoy your working hours, if you have this privilege, and I wish all of you a Happy Ramadan (Ramadan Kareem).

What is this all about?
This post implies for most iPod Touch 3Gen, iPhone 3GS and iPad models. Even though some of you maybe using lower models of iPhones or iPod Touch models, this is a very good read so you actually know how Apple’s security chip works and how the jailbreak community has worked around it.

During the release of the iPT 3Gen, iPhone 3GS and iPad, Apple has put a new security feature on these new devices. These chips are actually called ECID, Exclusive Chip ID. Each of these chips, like our finger prints are unique and it’s main purpose is to contact an Apple server which generates a signature telling your device what iOS version it should be using. The signature is actually called a Signature HaSH and it will tell iTunes that Makiav3lli’s iPod Touch 3Gen is allowed to run iOS 3.1.2. Now when a new iOS is released, for example iOS4, when your device connects to iTunes, iTunes will be contacting Apple’s signature server and update Makiav3lli’s iPod Touch to use iOS4 if the device needs to be restored (including Shift + Restore) or is running in DFU mode. During this period, iTunes play an important part as most Apple devices need to activate with the use of iTunes, however, it does NOT force the device to update. There is no such thing as an accidental upgrade as iTunes ALWAYS prompts the user of an update whether on iTunes or on the device. Once it does, iTunes contacts the signature server, a signature is generated and iTunes will enforce the firmware that it is allowed to use. Now because the ECID has a matching signature on the Apple server, regardless of what iTunes 9.1 version (lower versions of iTunes will not work with 4Q Apple devices) from your PC or anywhere else, iTunes will always force you to use the firmware matching with their signature. Remember, even if you are using a lower iOS version and you attempt to update your SHSH blobs, it will only obtain signatures with the current firmware being served by Apple’s Signature server. If you are iOS3.1.3 and haven’t backed your SHSH, if you attempt to back it up using Umbrella or Cydia when a new iOS has been published, you will not be able to back up your current SHSH for a previous iOS.

What’s its use and why does it look bad for us?

The ECID’s purpose was to actually stop jailbreaking of future firmware. How that is done is a good question because the only I thing I see this do is to stop people from going back to jailbreakable firmwares and not actually protecting future firmware. When a new firmware is released which cannot be jailbroken, users who upgrade carelessly won’t have an option to go back to their previous firmware which was jailbroken. This isn’t necessarily bad news for us because everything still relies on us, if we want to use new firmware or not. For us who own jailbroken units we simply know better. Imagine having an application which only works on iOS3.1.3 and the developer decided to leave the Apple scene, you may end up with an incompatible version of the application in iOS4. What if you simply did not like the new version of your firmware? What if the new firmware caused security issues in your corporate environment and you have 400 users that moved up the new firmware? This facility is great for Apple but for the end users, it put people up in a tight corner. It’s like the saying in the movie White Chicks… “Once you go Black, You gonna need a wheelchair.”

So what have the jailbroken community done about it?

Thanks to Saurik, he was able to create a way to cache Apple’s signature, replicate the server and basically store a copy of our ECID which a matching signatures which will actually allow us to downgrade to previous firmware. Saurik was able to implement a small procedure in Cydia which a device connecting to Cydia for the first time is prompted is asked if the user would like to upload their existing ECID so that Saurik’s server could retrieve the signature for the firmware that Apple is allowing. If I understand correctly, when your device communicates with Cydia, it communicates with Saurik’s Apple Signature server and his server retrieves and stores the signature granting you the ability to downgrade.

This is what Saurik had to say: Caching Apple’s Signature Server

How do I upload my ECID SHSH blobs?

There are two ways to which this procedure is done and at best, both procedures are idiot proof.

If you run Cydia for the first time, you should encounter this message below:

Once you have hit Make My Life Easier, you will be given an indicator on the home page of Cydia that is it being processed.

It may take time to process your signature so it would be best to return to Cydia after 24 hours to make sure that the signatures are cached.

A second method of uploading your signature is described below using the TinyUmbrella tool.

How do I know if my ECID SHSH blob has been stored?

If your iPhone has been jailbroken, the first way to see if your ECID SHSH has been stored is through Cydia. On the home page it should indicate which firmwares you are allowed to go back to.

The second method is applicable to non jailbroken phones as well and that is to use an application called TinyUmbrella.

1. Launch TinyUmbrella
2. Click on Save My SHSH.

3. Check the log and check how many files it has cached.
4. Click on Display SHSHs to view what downgrades you are eligible for.
   
   

Again, this tool is very useful not just for jailbreakers but also for people who just want to downgrade to lower version. Using this tool ensures that you can go back just in case you don’t like the existing firmwares.

How do you do I downgrade my iOS?

The key to this whole thing is iTunes. iTunes communicates with the signature server and enforces the allowed firmware on your device. Saurik actually found a way to trick iTunes to communicate with his server instead instead of the Apple signature server. The steps are quite easy.

1. Disconnect your device and make sure that iTunes is closed.
2. Open Windows Explorer and unhide files.
3. Go to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\ and locate a file called hosts
4. Right click and open the file with Notepad.
5. Add this entry : 74.208.10.249 gs.apple.com , save and close the file.
6. Open iTunes and proceed with the firmware restore that you have been allowed to use

iTunes is being tricked that it is communicating with an Apple Signature Server and this server is telling iTunes to allow the device to downgrade because in it’s signature listing, that firmware has been approved.

I upgraded to iOS4.0 but now decided to move back to iOS3.1.3, what am I to do?

If you are using iPod Touch 2Gen model

You will need the following:

• iOS3.1.3 firmware (IPSW file)
• iTunes 9.1
• Spirit Jailbreak Tool
• Verified that ECID SHSH is applicable for downgrade
• Revo Uninstaller

1. Using TinyUmbrella to make sure that you can downgrade to iOS3.1.3. It is absolutely necessary to do this step before anything else so that you don’t waste your time.
2. Once verified, proceed to uninstall iTunes 9.2 with Revo Uninstaller, you may use Windows Add/Remove Programs, Revo Uninstaller removes all traces of the programs including the registry, restart if required.
3. Install iTunes 9.1. We are reinstalling iTunes 9.1 because as of this moment, the Spirit jailbreak has been patched on iTunes 9.2.
4. After installation of iTunes 9.1, configure your iTunes account.
5. DFU your unit or use Shift + Restore to downgrade your unit with the corresponding firmware you have selected.
6. Cofigure and sync your device. Run your Spirit jailbreak.

If you are using iPod Touch 3Gen model

1. Using TinyUmbrella to make sure that you can downgrade to iOS3.1.3. It is absolutely necessary to do this step before anything else so that you don’t waste your time.
2. Once verified, proceed to uninstall iTunes 9.2 with Revo Uninstaller, you may use Windows Add/Remove Programs, Revo Uninstaller removes all traces of the programs including the registry, restart if required.
3. Install iTunes 9.1. We are reinstalling iTunes 9.1 because as of this moment, the Spirit jailbreak has been patched on iTunes 9.2.
4. After installation of iTunes 9.1 and configure your iTunes account.
5. Trick iTunes to connect to Saurik’s Apple Cache Signature server
   • Disconnect your device and make sure that iTunes is closed.
   • Change host file to trick iTunes
   • Open Windows Explorer and unhide files.
   • Go to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\ and locate a file called hosts
   • Right click and open the file with Notepad.
   • Add this entry : 74.208.10.249 gs.apple.com , save and close the file.
6. DFU your unit or use Shift + Restore to downgrade your unit with the corresponding firmware you have selected. Note that it will be contacting the “dummy server” which will allow you to downgrade. If it doesn’t you either have made a mistake in verifying firmwares you can downgrade to, check step 1, or your host configuration file is wrong, step 5.
7. After downgrading, undo the 74.208.10.249 gs.apple.com entry you put on the host file.

Configure and sync your device, run your Spirit jailbreak.

Is my MC 8GB model affected?
Your device is actually a rebranded 2Gen device with an MCXXXX marking and installed with iOS3.1, it will never be able to run anything lower than 3.1 as the device has a crippled bootrom of running 3.1 and above only. According to reports it doesn’t have ECID on it which basically means, you are not affected. Unfortunately, I cannot verify these reports and the best way to determine this is by using the TinyUmbrella application.

Go back to the iPod Support Index

Disclaimer

Blackra1n was developed by the the very popular and famous/infamous developer GeoHot. It makes untethered jailbreaks for 1Gen and 2Gen iPod Touch and iPhone and iPhone 3G models running OS 3.1.2 and below and makes tethered jailbreaks for 3Gen iPod Touch and iPhone 3GS models running 3.1.2. The application is less than a megabyte and is basically one of the fastest jailbreaks available, with Spirit being the fastest one. It is actually one of the best tools around particularly with the iPhone because of it’s ability to “hacktivate” the iPhone. Activation of the iPhone is one of the road blocks for such a device particularly when you don’t have the sim card of the originating country of the unit because in able for you to get iTunes running, your iPhone model number must match the sim card it is carrying. Blackra1n can actually break through it and proceed to jailbreaking and unlocking the iPhone. Despite being very light on file size, Blackra1n doesn’t actually install Cydia on your device. It actually installs a program called Blackra1n and once you get internet connection in you can install either Cydia or Rock, which is a package manager competitor of Cydia and Icy. Based on experience, when you proceed to install Cydia, the Blackra1n application proceeds to download the Cydia .DEB (Debian installer file) from Blackra1n’s repository and proceeds to run the code to install Cydia or Rock. The disadvantage of this is evident in countries where sites like Blackra1n.com is blocked, if you do manage to download the Blackra1n application, having the Blackra1n app to download and install Cydia and Rock is another hurdle.
Blackra1n also carries one more tool called Blacksn0w which is the program used to unlock baseband 04.26.08 up to 5.11.07.

Blackra1n requires the following as stated on several websites:

• Any iPhone or iPod Touch on firmware 3.1.2 or lower
• iTunes 9 (Version 9.1 or lower)

Important note:

During Blackra1n’s popularity, there were three release candidates in a span of of two months to accommodate bugs during installation. Unfortunately, some of these bugs were not seen during installation but came along to issues of wifi, push and Youtube. This problem was resolved by applying . Unfortunately, the developer of this product decided to cash in on this misfortune and this fix is still being used because this is problem is caused by a combination “hacktivation” and Blackra1n installation. This issue should not affect most iPod Touch owners unfortunately, it has surfaced on some units. This issue was overcome with the introduction of the Spirit JB.

Download Blackra1n
Blackra1n Tutor1al
Blackra1n 1n Act1on

* Note that these are external links and they are not affiliated with this website *

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Disclaimer

In this part of the tutorial we discuss some of the Window tools we can use to make life easy in managing your iPhone/iPod. Whether it is with transfering files from your PC to your device or changing some part of a theme, these tool play an important part in personalizing your device.

What is iFunbox?

iFunbox is an application that allows you to access the directories and files of your iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad. Your device doesn’t actually need to be jailbroken at all to access the files on your device, however the access of the directories are different for jailbroken and non jailbroken device. You can do these for the following:

i. Turn your device into a USB HDD
ii. Manage your songs and movies without the use of iTunes
iii. Upload wallpapers in batches
iv. Manage files (copy/paste/delete) to and from your device.

iFunbox is a stand alone executable (does NOT need to be installed, it’s a zip file that you extract and run).
Requirements:
Windows XP / Vista / 7 (32-bit/64-bit)
iTunes

Optional (Note: These components should only be used if iFunbox has problems)
* Device is always detected as JAILED *
afc2add (from Cydia, if device is jailbroken)

* iFunbox Error: “Failed to locate Apple Mobile device Support, iTunesMobileDevice.dll is not found” *
itunesmobiledevice.dll (download here, place in the same folder as iFunbox)

What is WinSCP?

WinSCP is a program that allows you to transfer files from one computer to another in a secure method. WinSCP is stands for Windows Secure CoPy, in where it uses Secure Shell Protocol to perform the following:
i. Upload and download files to and from your device
ii. Remotely edit files within your device
iii. Terminal access to the iOS unix-based operting system
iv. Capabilty to change file permissions

Unlike iFunbox which is limited to Apple devices, WinSCP works within Windows and can communicate with devices (including computers) which run SSH. iFunbox cannot match WinSCP in functionality, they are basically similar only to file transfers but other than that they are leagues apart with WinSCP having far more advanced features. If you are going to transfer files, it would be highly recommend to just use iFunbox but when it comes to modifying themes and restoring some saved games, this is the application you need. WinSCP can help in changing settings within your Apple device, modifying .plist files or even changing your root password can be done with this application and because you have access to Terminal, you have advance access to your device.

Requirements:
Windows XP / Vista / 7 (32-bit/64-bit)
Jailbroken Apple Device
OpenSSH (Cydia)

iFunbox which works via cable and with an unjailbroken device, WinSCP access requires a jailbroken Apple device with the application called OpenSSH. This application allows you to access the device within your network securely. WinSCP doesn’t use any cables, it needs a couple of things to work properly, an IP address, a port number, a root username and the root password. the iPhone/iPod defaults are as follows: IP Address: [Assigned] / Port: [22] / Username: [root] / Password: [alpine]

Username is already fixed but the password can be changed and is highly recommended to limit the device from being accessed. The password “alpine” is universal for all devices which have been jailbroken.

WinSCP has a Norton commander-like interface in where you a window split in two with the left side being location where source files to be transfered are located and the right side being the destination. Files can simple be dragged and dropped from source to destination or vice versa. Locating a plist file on the device will run the text editor of WinSCP and this is particlarly useful in changing theme configurations. Finally, under the Command Menu list, you will also find Terminal which you will have command line communication with the iOS.

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