i have some other toll but this one work best with most off the car so i just wanted it to finally work corectly that was it 8-(
i have some other toll but this one work best with most off the car so i just wanted it to finally work corectly that was it 8-(
Since no one has posted on this thread in well forever, it is clear to me that this is not a productive use of my time. I had hoped that others would still want to solve this riddle but apparently not. I will defeat this machine... I only have to two modes: either I control the hardware or I sell or smash the thing for smd parts. I have no interest in working on defeating the smart cards. I can pay for new information if I need it. But I will be damned if I can't use a regular cf card or update with a factory cd. The automotive industry is populated with a bunch of greedy pigs and eventually these closed systems will be destroyed by market forces. I have seen it in other fields and it will come to pass with the automotive tools as surely as Zeus made little green apples. Till then I will post on elsewhere on this board. Hopefully someone will share my desire to bring this over glorified gameboy under its owners control. If not well there are lots of good mosfets in there.
Last edited by agitprop; 15th September, 2015 at 06:57 AM.
Last edited by agitprop; 15th September, 2015 at 06:59 AM.
It's quite possible to hack the genisys. Not sure about the EVO tools but very likely its possible on those as well.
People have taken several different approaches - duplicating the smart cards, modifying an update image and re-packing it, and one other approach which I believed imaging a fully activated tool to one with no options.
Generating the keys that come from the smart cards is the easiest way. When the smart cards are shipped, each card for each option contains the exact same code, and it's not a long code. When you install the option, the serial number of the tool is hashed with the code on the smart card and that smart card is rewritten and forever locked to that tool.
You don't need the smart cards to activate the apps, you just need to write them to the right spot in the tool's memory.
I don't know where in memory this is but I do know that if you console into the tool you can use command line to run the utilitiy that write this memory. You can simply bypass the automatic reading of the smart card and manually write the code to the data file that the utility reads (to add a new license the tool first reads the smart card, writes its contents into a data file + hashes the smart card, then another utility is run which parses this data file). The data file is called 'license' or something like that.
So, you just need the codes for your tool. The code that you need is different for every tool as it's a result of a hash between the raw(original) smart card code and your serial number. I don't know exactly how to generate this since I never cracked the tool. However, if you go back to a very old version of the genisys operating system (maybe pre-2.0 I can't remember), you will be able to play with the utilities via the console and figure out how to do this.
To get in to console you'll need to make the RS232 DB9->RJ45 cable so you can communicate with the tool. Then you'll need to know the password. I never figured out the password on mine, I just modified the passwd file on the flash image to something that I knew. The actual password may be posted somewhere on this site or thread, I don't know. Definitely need access to the console to make this happen. You can use a terminal program to transfer files back and forth as you won't be able to edit the partition on the flash card with anything that I know of. If I recall correctly it was some sort of linux ext partition, but not a normal one because this genisys one was byteswapped or something oddball like that.
FYI, it runs on an older version of LynxOS, a ~$100k product so don't expect to find an SDK for it.
The reason that nobody shares something like this is because of the greed of others. If someone posted a detailed method of generating the keys, a bunch of a-holes would start selling counterfeit smart cards to shops all over the place, online, etc. So it's better if it only comes to those who are willing to really work for it, and learn something in the process. Took me many, many evenings to figure the tool out. By the time I was done, I just ended up buying a fully-equipped EVO on ebay for much less than the worth of the time that I spent tinkering with my original one. I really just did it to learn. I don't have more than this to share but I can tell you that if you work at it, you'll figure it out. Hint, even if you install a really old image (like pre-2.0 on it) you can still install keys even for the latest updates on that old OS (even though that old OS can not even run those newer apps). The old OS was really obvious on how to generate keys (well, I felt like it was). If you are able to find a way to get the old OS image loaded, it's much easier to deal with because old OS worked with serial cable updates and you could use a serial port sniffer to figure out the console password. Newer OS only supported CF card updates and so there was no serial port communication to sniff. I spent a lot of time tinkering with mine before I realized I just needed to log its console output during updates and study these to understand the tool.
Always keep a backup of your CF and remember how linux works. There is a boot partition that is configured to look in the CF for boot files. This changes(evolves) from the original OS and through each OS progression. Original tool only looked at internal CF, then later versions started using external. I bricked my tool by screwing up the boot image and had to image from a working tool to get mine functional again. It has been so long that I don't remember a lot of this but if you screw up, you can always get on ebay and get another bare tool, seems like they sell for less than a hundred bucks now.
One more FYI, shiny keys blue tool is the oldest version I would buy. Older ones have slow processors and new OS is very, very slow on them even if you do the CF hack and put your image on a higher speed CF. Of course its easy to screw up the higher speed CF such that it wants to do a complete file system check on every boot, mine did that and I ended up going back to the SimpleTech CF.
UltraGad (12th October, 2021)
I just got a Genisys with software 4.0, it have 2010 Domestic Asian and 2008 Europe unlocked, but there is Heavy Duty Standard locked, which i would be interested in using.
You guys seems to know what you are doing, i'd like to get some pointers if possible. I have some knowledge on Linux OS, i used to build headless servers on debian for file transfer. I'm starting to take care of my wife's dad's trucks, he have two International, and i'd like to be able to scan it, would be a good addition to my set of skills.
Thanks
Not even a pointer?
Str3atW
i have an issue with a failed update that has left me with a genisys that will do nothing other than turn on to a blue screen until removing the battery and disconnecting the charger. have you encountered this?
I have. After paying almost $1000 to OTC for system 5.0 and new coverage for domestic asian and european the OTC tech support told me it couldn't be done without buying the 4.0 and installing it first. That was not true. I did it on the black button Genisys classic.
I am bringing this thread back from the dead. Hopefully some older peeps see it and are able to throw in some updates. I have a 3.0 tool that I am trying to get to 4.0 or 5. I also have quite a bit of knowledge about the hardware and software. Looking to work with someone to finish getting the rest of the information to get this working.
Last Genesys updates from OTC is 2015.
Seems No more updates will be available for that tool.
I know someone who can help with outdated tool.
For anyone looking for images of the CF cards, they are available on the genisys FTP site, which I would presume someone has already found (since it is referenced by the update software). Even up to the last software image, posted in 2016, it is likely all still there and everything you need to find it is contained within the update scripts. There is no reason to try and format cards on a mac or any of that stuff, because the software update tool itself will simply format and flash the card for you.
The contents of the smart cards is easy to read and duplicate, and if you don't have any to play around with, you can simply write the software options to the flash in the tool before putting in an upgrade CF card, and viola, after update, all the software options are installed. THE SOFTWARE OPTIONS ARE LITERALLY IN PLAIN TEXT ON THE CARDS. NO ENCRYPTION NOR OBFUSCATION. The software utility to read and write the cards is present on the scan tool! The software utility that takes the smart card contents and writes that option to internal flash is also on the scan tool! Older versions were very verbose in the console, which is very "helpful".
Anyway, now the genisys tools are super cheap, you can pick them up on eBay for next to nothing. Have fun.
Last edited by twrch; 25th September, 2021 at 03:14 AM.
UltraGad (16th October, 2021)
Hello, I really dont know linux or those programming issues. I have an otc genisys, with all programs locked. I been using this tool for years, because I own many pre 1995 lincoln cars with air suspension, this tool is one of the very few tools that can read this suspension systems. So I really dont need to unlock those features since air suspension and those functions works with no need to upgrade, also I use that tool with old cartridges, but been thinking that if I own the tool, Maybe will be nice to unlock some features. So please let me know if there are some easy way to do it, an of course I think knowledge have a cost because is your time. Let me know if you can and if you have the time to assist me and the cost. I have a pair of smart cards, one is 2010 domestic and the other is european 2010, if I insert them, the tool says to introduce some activation code. Sorry if I bother you, and delete if not allowed.
Last edited by galaxie1969; 17th February, 2023 at 06:08 PM.
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