[AT&T, Rogers HTC One X, Telstra One XL] djrbliss:
I have successfully rooted the AT&T HTC One X running build 2.20.

In the previous build (1.85), S-ON was only partially enforced, so it was possible to modify the /system partition without having unlocked the bootloader, in order to install su and Superuser.apk. This was changed in build 2.20: full S-ON is now in effect. As a result, it is no longer possible to write to /system even after remounting it as writable, since the S-ON feature has NAND-locked the storage.

In other words, it's impossible have a "permanent root" on 2.20 in the traditional sense without unlocking the bootloader.

I have prepared an exploit that gains temporary root access by leveraging two vulnerabilities and uses these newly gained root privileges to overwrite the CID ("superCID"), so that it's possible to unlock the bootloader via HTC's website. I'm sorry if you'd prefer to not unlock your bootloader this way, but there are no other options for root access available.

===========

DISCLAIMER

===========

This exploit modifies the CID of your device. Doing so likely voids your warranty, and may be in violation of your contract with AT&T (I am not a lawyer). Additionally, while this exploit has been tested and has not been observed to cause any negative side effects in practice, I am in no way responsible if it turns your device into an expensive paperweight.

=============

INSTRUCTIONS

=============

1. Download the exploit from:

http://vulnfactory.org/public/X_Factor_Windows.zip

Edit: Linux/Mac version available here. Thanks to Jesse Osiecki (@jesseosiecki) for suggesting I support this and providing me with a working version (that I ended up re-writing):

http://vulnfactory.org/public/X_Factor_Linux_OSX.zip

2. Extract the entire zip file.

3. Connect your device via USB, ensure you have the latest HTC USB drivers installed (only on Windows), and ensure USB debugging mode is enabled.

4. Double-click "run.bat", or if running Linux or OSX, open a terminal, change directories to the extracted exploit, and run "./run.sh".

5. Follow the instructions printed by the exploit. You will need to authorize two backup restorations during the exploit's execution.

6. If the exploit is successful, it will print "[+] Set CID!". If it does not print this, the exploit has failed, so please do not continue.

7. The exploit will automatically reboot into bootloader mode. Press enter after bootloader mode is finished booting, and the exploit will print your CID. If the exploit was successful, it should return "11111111" as your CID.

8. If your CID was successfully set, press enter to generate an unlock token.

9. Visit htcdev.com, navigate to the "Bootloader unlock" section, choose "All other supported models" from the drop-down menu, and provide the unlock token when asked.

10. After unlocking the bootloader, you can flash a custom recovery partition via fastboot, boot into recovery mode, and use a recovery ADB shell or install from an update.zip to install Superuser and su (I do not provide support for custom recoveries, but this is a straightforward process that other people can help with).

======

NOTES

======

I am not affiliated with any Android forum or group, including XDA - this is just where I've chosen to publish this exploit.

Portions of this exploit are similar in concept to the ADB backup/restore exploit published by Bin4ry, but the vulnerability used in this exploit is entirely distinct from Bin4ry's.

========

CREDITS

========

Thanks to Michael Coppola for pointing me at the vulnerable driver I leverage for the second phase of the exploit, and props for independently discovering the same vulnerability I used. Thanks to jcase and P3Droid for their continuing support - I owe you guys beers.

======

Paypal

======

http://goo.gl/zBGb0