New Security Flaw Discovered in Samsung Galaxy S8, S9 and Pixel Phones - Android

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Google researchers have recently discovered a security flaw in Android devices that was supposed to be patched back in December 2017.

Codenamed Zero Day, the vulnerability resides in the Kernel code of Android OS and helps attackers gain root access to the device. This means that the hacker will be able to control your smartphone, steal your data or keep tabs on you.

List of Vulnerable Devices

The flaw was supposed to be patched 2 years ago, but newer Android Kernel versions are still vulnerable. The exploit was discovered in a number of older Android devices running Android 8 and later. Here is a full list of the phones in question

• Pixel 1
• Pixel 1 XL
• Pixel 2
• Pixel 2 XL
• Huawei P20
• Xiaomi Redmi 5A
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5
• Xiaomi A1
• Oppo A3
• Moto Z3
• Android Oreo LG phones
• Samsung Galaxy S7
• Samsung Galaxy S8
• Samsung Galaxy S9

Google says that the issue is not as serious as it sounds as it cannot work remotely without the user’s awareness. The flaw requires installation of malicious software which can only be installed with the user’s permission.

Rediscovery

The bug was discovered over a week ago and the research team made sure to disclose it to the Android team before making it public. Since the vulnerability was already being used for attacks in the real world, the security researchers have given the Android team 7 days to fix the issue.

The Android team says that Pixel 1 and 2 devices will be receiving updates for the issue as part of the October update. As for other devices, they will have to wait a little longer.

In any case, we highly recommend keeping your device up to date with the latest security patches at all times.

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