[GUIDE] Proxyme - Android System Access Tool

The purpose of this thread is to provide a guide for users who have Proxyme preloaded in their device's firmware and want to find out how to use it effectively. Ideally, this will be a place to share experiences and ideas to further improve the tool and provide solutions to problems that people may have.

Introduction

Proxyme ( proc-zahym ) represents a system access solution comprised of the following components:

• System service - provides access to privileged system environment
• SSH daemon - provides secure shell (ssh) and file (scp) access (based on dropbear)
• proxyme.apk - user interface module

This solution is offered as a preloaded option in firmware images and consequently cannot (should not) be installed as a regular app, either from the Play Store or being side loaded. The reason for pre-loading stems from the requirements of the system service component to be able to integrate at kernel level and not be bound by operating restrictions within the Android application and framework platform environment. The Play Store has been enlisted as the primary and preferred source in providing updates to the user interface component; the actual app you will be interacting with.

Proxyme offers the following functionality through the user interface:

• Installation/de-installation of the su binary to provide/remove root access
  (useful only for other applications which require root level access)
• The persistent behaviour of the su binary can be controlled by a one-shot switch
• Register/de-register tag-along scripts for su enable and disable actions
  (more details on this below)
• Control availability and location of busybox toolbox
• Start/Stop SSH daemon
• Configure listening port for the SSH daemon
• Configure user accounts for the SSH daemon

SU Binary

The option to enable or disable the su binary switch (on/off) in the user interface is the equivalent of rooting and unrooting the device. When enabled, you are providing root access to apps which require it to perform correctly.Currently, Proxyme does not have built-in support for monitoring and 'policing' the actual access to root.


Auto Root @ Boot

This switch in the Proxyme app allows you to indicate whether the su binary should be installed or removed during a reboot or startup of the device. Setting it to the 'on' position will make the su binary persistent throughout reboot cycles and leave your phone permanently 'rooted'.


Registering Tag-along Scripts

Whenever you enable or disable the su binary with the on/off switch in the user interface, there exists an option to execute a user script just prior to and one unique to each action. This is possible by pre-registering a script for one of or both enable/disable actions. A script can virtually perform anything and is always executed within root context. Note that you must be very cautious about the scripts you are registering and be certain about their intentions, because a rogue script could cause irreparable damage to you device.

Each script has the option to override, and thus block, the intended action (enable or disable) by setting a system property named proxyme.override to anything but blank.

One purpose of having tag-along scripts would be to 'freeze' and 'unfreeze' specific root-shy apps, which do not 'like' rooted systems. This is one area where we can share the experience of pre-coded scripts for certain target apps and I do hope it will be put to good use.


Busybox

Busybox is just that, busybox. Options are available to determine one of two hard-configured locations where it can be installed and to enable or disable it.

More to follow later...


SSH Daemon

TBD.