ADB (Android Debug Bridge)
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 24 of 86 privilege escalation tools by recommenders
Command-line tool for sideloading apps, copying files and running commands on Android devices. Critics warn that enabled debugging exposes devices to attackers.
Command-line tool for sideloading apps, copying files and running commands on Android devices. Critics warn that enabled debugging exposes devices to attackers.
22 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 15
- criticize it
- 7
- approval share
- 68%
Recommended in 9 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 15 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 2.1 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 9 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Works when other tools fail
“the only one that actually worked was using ADB commands”
Comment from 5 Jun 2026 in “Fast Android File Manager that works” “Thank god I had adb set up”
Comment from 13 May 2026 in “Scrcpy v4.0” “For me, ADB to the resuce.”
Comment from 2 Dec 2025 in “India orders smartphone makers to preload state-owned cyber safety app” Faster and more reliable file copying
“you can just adb pull it off a phone, no need to hit a dodgy website”
Comment from 23 Oct 2026 in “I reverse engineered a board game” “"adb backup" is buggy and deprecated.”
Comment from 31 Mar 2026 in “Google just gave Android power users a sideloading win” “MTP is slower than adb in my experience”
Comment from 10 Nov 2025 in “Show HN: DroidDock – A sleek macOS app for browsing Android device files via ADB” Avoids untrusted third-party tools
“Seems far easier to just use ADB. Especially rather than trusting a codebase you don't know”
Comment from 27 Feb 2026 in “Smartphone Mkt to Decline 13% in '26, Largest Drop Ever Due to Memory Shortage” “you can just adb pull it off a phone, no need to hit a dodgy website”
Comment from 23 Oct 2026 in “I reverse engineered a board game” Removes unwanted preinstalled apps
“which you can usually uninstall from the user partition using ADB/Universal Android Debloater”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Motorola phones have started hijacking the Amazon app to insert affiliate codes” “the trick I use is that `adb disable-user` still works without root and it works on anything”
Comment from 2 Sep 2026 in “How to debloat your Xiaomi 15 Ultra without root access”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Security risk when debugging enabled
“ADB is also quite dangerous and people can be tricked into giving very invasive access to malware with it.”
Comment from 17 Jul 2026 in “GrapheneOS recommended for domestic abuse victims” “ADB enabled means an adversary can completely own your device”
Comment from 28 Apr 2026 in “Phone is about to stop being yours” adb backup buggy and incomplete
“it doesn't back up half the things you need”
Comment from 31 Mar 2026 in “Google just gave Android power users a sideloading win” “"adb backup" is buggy and deprecated.”
Comment from 31 Mar 2026 in “Google just gave Android power users a sideloading win”
Other privilege escalation tools people recommend
The four most recommended other privilege escalation tools, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
See all 86 privilege escalation tools, rankedWhat people said
20 of the 22 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“you can just adb pull it off a phone, no need to hit a dodgy website”
“the trick I use is that `adb disable-user` still works without root and it works on anything”
“adb (Android) is close albeit a bit more tedious”
“adb connecting a device to itself is just bad design and a hack”
“ADB is also quite dangerous and people can be tricked into giving very invasive access to malware with it.”
“the only one that actually worked was using ADB commands”
“which you can usually uninstall from the user partition using ADB/Universal Android Debloater”
“It's very patchy, and many (most?) apps opt out, so it's functionally useless.”
“Thank god I had adb set up”
“ADB enabled means an adversary can completely own your device”
“it doesn't back up half the things you need”
“It's easier and more reliable to use adb root to rsync everything.”
“"adb backup" is buggy and deprecated.”
“It is not reasonable to advocate for ADB if the 24 hour wait is too long.”
“Seems far easier to just use ADB. Especially rather than trusting a codebase you don't know”
“adb + USB debugging sideload to get an app loaded”
“For me, ADB to the resuce.”
“it stores the keys there for whatever reason. I would rather not see my home folder being cluttered with hidden files”
“Local, doesn't need encryption since there's no middle in E2E that you need protection against, and simple.”
“MTP is slower than adb in my experience”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.