# Reading the memory chip from a smartphone?



## Eicca (Feb 18, 2016)

How hard would it be to wire up a flash storage chip that was removed from a smartphone's logic board?

Or, is it possible to dump the OS and core files onto an SD card so that the guts of the smartphone can be accessed from a different smartphone while maintaining the same password protection?


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## Riis Marshall (Feb 19, 2016)

Hello Eicca

Knowing absolutely nothing about the insides of a smartphone but having an armchair feel for modern technology - probably. To be sure, though, you could ask Abby and McGee.

All the best with your writing.

Warmest regards
Riis


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## Bishop (Feb 19, 2016)

It entirely depends on a large number of factors. If what you have is just the raw chip, it would be incredibly difficult, and even impossible in most situations as it would require a complex setup. If someone wants to access the phone's information, it can be slaved through its own USB port and read by computers, give or take any encryption the phone may or may not have.

As for dumping the OS, it depends again on a number of factors. What OS? What is the destination device? Does it need to be usable/bootable in that state?


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## Eicca (Feb 19, 2016)

Assuming the person who wants to get into it had a generous knowledge of electronics, the biggest factor is: Would it be possible to solder a connection to the chip by hand? (This factor is plot dependent).


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## Bishop (Feb 19, 2016)

Eicca said:


> Assuming the person who wants to get into it had a generous knowledge of electronics, the biggest factor is: Would it be possible to solder a connection to the chip by hand? (This factor is plot dependent).



Those chips are so small and the solder points are near-microscopic. If they had the machinery needed to do that level of nano-work, yes they could. But with a hand soldering iron and a pair of forceps? I'd have trouble buying that.


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