Kindle Notes

A couple of notes on Kindle Jailbreaking that have served me well.

Links of Interest:

• The Kindle Modding Wiki
• Very Generous Update Files for Kindles
• Marek's Hard Float Hacking
• Mobileread's Kindle Firmware version history (somewhat abandoned)
• My Continued Kindle Firmware History

Disabling Data-Logging on your Kindle

Kindle and Amazon like to harvest your data, if you would like to reduce it to a minimum, make sure to enable the default privacy options on your Kindle, then install BinaryRenamer.

Use it at your own risk!

Disabling Minerva (Another Data Logger Service)

You can too disable "minerva" manually through SSH like this:

  mntroot rw
  ln -s -b /dev/null /usr/bin/minerva_service
  ln -s -b /dev/null /usr/bin/minervad
  mntroot ro
   

Apparently, this stops whatever is happening at /var/local/log/minerva/ with the “entryDs_file_X” files which are supposedly logging files.

How to revert changes:

  mntroot rw
  mv /usr/bin/minerva_service~ /usr/bin/minerva_service
  mv /usr/bin/minervad~ /usr/bin/minervad
  mntroot ro
    

PS. I can confirm BinaryRenamer is still working on 5.16.8.

USBNetwork SSH Tutorial

This tutorial works best with NiLuJe's USBNetwork Hack for soft float firmware (equal or lower than 5.16.2.1.1).

1. Install usbnet bin through mrpackages
2. Connect your kindle through USB
3. Create an empty "authorized_keys" file at "usbnet/etc/" (if you're using Marek's usbnetlite, it should be in usbnet/etc/dropbear)
4. Run Putty and generate a new ssh-rsa key
5. Copy the public key and type it into the authorized_keys file like this: ssh-rsa "yourkeyhere"
6. Close down Putty and disconnect your Kindle
7. Type ;711 on the search bar and write the IP address
8. Go to KUAL > USBNetwork and click on "Allow SSH over WiFi" then "Toggle USBNetwork"
9. Go to your SFTP program, type the Kindle's IP address, set the port to "22" and username as "root". Leave password in blank because you will load up the private key file generated earlier as your Authentication log in.
10. Try to log in.
11. Pray This Will Be Your First Attempt.
12. Enjoy.

USBNetworklite SSH Tutorial

If you're using Marek's USBNetworklite Hack. The installation process is mostly the same, but the authentication key file location must be at "usbnet/etc/dropbear".

You can connect through SSH without authentication keys as the root password for is just "kindle". You can modify this password at "usbnet-lite/etc/"

Calibre Series Metadata Plugboard

You can organize series in your Kindle with a metadata plugboard. The series name metadata will be written into the file name field when transferring and the Kindle will logically organize them by name

To set up a metadata plugboard, go into Calibre > Preferences > Metadata plugboards > Add new plugboard: "Any format" and "Any device" (you can change both of these options to your liking) > Set Destination field to "title" > Copy the source template shown below.

{series}{series_index:0>2s| #| - }{title}

Other Notes:

  ;dm - Dump messages to /documents
  ;411 - server information
  ;711 - wifi information
  

• Renable/Restore OTA Updates on BinaryRenamer/renametobin before reseting the Kindle to factory settings.
• Be wary of either leaving SSH enabled or disabled on your Kindle before doing any dangerous activities.
• In some firwmare versions, you won't be able to highlight text across pages on sideloaded AZW3 books.
• (`mntroot` rw and `mntroot ro` makes the changes to the filesystem possible).
• Winterbreak is the latest Jailbreak available for Kindle, reportedly only working until 5.17.x.
• You can downgrade the Kindle Paperwhite 4 from its final release (5.17.0.3) to its factory firmware version (5.10.0.2).
• Be wary of signed out devices listed on market sales, you might get a blacklisted Kindle that is impossible to jailbreak.
• Buy an e-reader device that is not a Kindle.

Last update: 2025 / 03 / 29