Oem-locked Cid 0x0032

HTC devices (One M8, M9, and Bolt) also used CID 0x0032 for Verizon. On HTC, the error message was slightly different (cid: VZW__001), but the numerical value remained 0x0032. HTC’s fastboot oem get_identifier_token would fail because the token was signed with a key that Verizons’s variant didn’t possess.

For mobile forensic investigators, encountering oem-locked cid 0x0032 changes the game plan entirely.

This security state forces forensics back to the basics: oem-locked cid 0x0032

The CID is stored in a protected partition (often cid or persist) that is write-protected at the hardware level once the phone leaves the factory. Unlike software flags (like ro.oem_unlock_supported), you cannot simply edit a build.prop file.

Here is the hierarchy of security:

For Motorola and HTC devices with CID 0x0032, there is a physical hardware method. You must boot the phone into EDL (Emergency Download Mode) by shorting two pins on the motherboard or using a deep-flash cable. Once in EDL, a Java Card (a special smart card reader) or a Medusa Pro Box can write a patched CID partition changing 0x0032 to 0x0000. Cost: $80–$150 USD. Risk: Bricking the device is common.

Technically, if you have a signed Qualmerak Firehose programmer for your exact device, you can use QFIL or edl.py to dump and rewrite the CID partition. You would change 0x0032 to 0x0000 (retail). HTC devices (One M8, M9, and Bolt) also

On newer devices (Pixel 3+ and beyond), Google replaced oem unlock with flashing unlock. However, the same CID check applies. For CID 0x0032, the flashing_unlock capability bit is simply not set in the bootloader's variables. You can verify this by running:

fastboot getvar all

Look for (bootloader) unlocked: no and (bootloader) verity-state: locked. If you see unlock_ability: 0, the CID has permanently disabled the feature. HTC devices (One M8