Google Pixel Screenshot Vulnerability Surfaces

Another vulnerability related to the Google Pixel endangers the privacy of users. Cropped screenshots can be restored later, allowing recipients of the images to access sensitive data. The bug has already been fixed.

If you own a Pixel model with Android 10 or later and use the standard markup tool to crop screenshots, you may have unintentionally sent private data. As developers Simon Aarons and David Buchanan found out (via 9to5google), about 80 percent of the original content is still stored in the file due to a bug, without being visible when viewing the image.

The flaw can become a serious security vulnerability if sensitive details such as addresses, phone numbers, or even bank details were visible on the original screenshot. After the image is cropped, most users assume that cropped areas are no longer saved. The supposedly removed parts are then sent inadvertently when the screenshot is sent via WhatsApp, for example.

The vulnerability has been fixed with the current update

As part of the update released in March, the vulnerability on Pixel smartphones was closed. The latest patch should therefore definitely be installed. Of course, older screenshots can still contain the original information. A specially designed page gives the option to upload the cropped image and check if the data can be recovered.