MILLIONS of Samsung Galaxy smartphone owners face a security threat.
Those with Android version 9 to 12 are at risk.
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Some Samsung smartphone users have been threatened by a security attackCredit: AP
Kryptowire researchers have released a report detailing how they discovered a serious vulnerability in the preinstalled phone app on multiple models that could allow a hacker to take control of another person’s phone forbes
Controls can include factory reset, making calls, and installing and removing apps.
An unauthorized user could gain this type of access if the victim installs a modified third-party application to “mimic system-level activities and hijack critical protected functionality,” according to the Kryptofil report.
The phone application is installed on all Samsung smartphones.
It turned out that there was an insecure component that gave apps without system privileges the ability to still run those privileges without user intervention.
The extent to which smartphones were vulnerable to this attack is unknown, but the researchers were able to test a Samsung Galaxy S10+ and a Samsung A10e in the compromise tests.
A Samsung Galaxy S8 running Android 8 was found not to be vulnerable.
The bad news is that anyone with a Samsung smartphone running Android version 9 and above was likely vulnerable to the attack.
The good news is that a patch was released as part of the February 2022 security maintenance schedule, Forbes reported.
As long as the device is updated to the February security patch or later, the owner is protected.
Not everyone will or will be able to update, so it’s important to check if the device needs an update.
This information is available in the phone settings app.
The Sun has reached out to Samsung for comment.
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Samsung smartphone users are protected from a security threat if their phone has been updated to a February security patch level or laterCredit: Getty
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The Samsung smartphone running Android version 9 and above was likely vulnerable to a security attackCredit: Getty
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