Millions of phones out there have some major Android security flaws. However, ARM issued a fix months before this report. So, who is the one to blame?
Basically, Project Zero flagged some significant issues related to phones with Mali GPU. That includes numerous devices from Oppo, Google, Xiaomi, and Samsung.
ARM resolved these issues back in July and August. But it took months for smartphones to receive a patch. And ironically, this security patch could not solve all the reported problems.
Five Major Unpatched Android Security Flaws
Researchers identified five new Android security flaws in June and July. According to the report, one leads to memory corruption. Another one discloses physical memory addresses. The other three? They lead to a physical page use-after-free condition.
Should These Security Flaws Worry You?
Your phone is still vulnerable if it has a Mali GPU. Attackers can access the system and read users’ data for these major Android Security Flaws. And this is something that you can not take lightly.
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But there is a piece of good news! A Google spokesperson stated, “The fix provided by ARM is currently undergoing testing for Android and Pixel devices.” And the mentioned devices are expected to get the fix “in the upcoming weeks.”
What about the Android OEM partners? They will need to take the patch. Otherwise, they will not comply with the SPL requirements. So, even if you are not using a Google Pixel, you can expect to get a new security patch in the near future.
How Secure Are iPhones at This Stage?
iPhones are not the most secure phones out there. Apple recently released an update to fix two flaws. And like security problems of Android, issues with iOS come up every now and then.
Security problems have basically become a typical thing for smartphones these days. So, these Android security flaws should not really force you to switch.
