Technology

Samsung Releases Android Update To Fix Critical Vulnerabilities

Android

Samsung has already started to distribute the August patch for Android to fix critical security holes in the operating system. This means that the Korean manufacturer is commendably early this time, but there is a reason.

Google released the usual security updates for Android in the August patch in the past week, with numerous vulnerabilities classified as critical being fixed once again. First, the updates for Google’s own Pixel smartphones were released. The security patch is now also available for the first Samsung devices, including the Galaxy S10 series.

The first Samsung Galaxy devices start the automatic updates. The updates include camera improvements, Wi-Fi tweaks, and some pretty significant security fixes. All security vulnerabilities mentioned in the August patch have either received a severity rating of “high” or “critical”. If you want your devices to be protected, you should update them as soon as possible.

Beware of attackers

The most serious vulnerability could allow a remote attacker to use a specially crafted file to execute arbitrary code in the context of an unprivileged process. If exploited successfully, this vulnerability would allow an attacker to take full control of the device. Details can be found in the Google Android Advisory Bulletin. Other vulnerabilities include those that allow you to bypass user interaction entirely in order to gain elevated privileges.

Samsung owners should, however, see which update is offered to them. The Galaxy devices now receive the “Security Patch Level” with the date “2020-08-01”. However, this still leaves some weaknesses. The “Security Patch 2020-08-05” with further important security updates should only come in a few days. Users are advised to update their Android devices immediately and ensure that the “Auto-Update” settings are enabled on their devices.
August 9, 2020