Even after much fanfare for Google’s update, it’s only launched on the Nexus devices meaning you’re probably still vulnerable if you’re Android user on another device. But the three companies will now push out the updates on a monthly schedule, in the wake of one of the worst Android bugs ever found. Although LG has not yet made a public announcement, it unveiled similar plans in an e-mail to the media.
Advertisement
Last month, mobile security experts at Zimperium identified the unsafe Stagefright vulnerability, which allows hackers to attack phones using a simple text.
Stagefright fixes: Several Samsung devices also got the Stagefright patch.
Samsung, following the aftermath of this scare, announced on Wednesday that they would be providing security patches and updates to the users of their Galaxy range of smartphones nearly once every month. We believe that this new process will vastly improve the security of our devices and will aim to provide the best mobile experience possible for our users. In our brief testing, Stagefright Detector merely took five seconds to complete its analysis and show us the result.
According to Ludwig, improvements to recent versions of Android would limit an attack’s effectiveness in more than nine out of 10 phones, but Drake said an attacker could keep trying until the gambit worked.
Once this is fixed and monthly updates start rolling out Android should be a safer operating system, technically.
Advertisement
These are only two purveyors of Android devices, but they’re the most important ones. Samsung’s response, in particular, is laudable since the company does its part instead of relying entirely on Google for the patches. Install it and the app will quickly run an analysis on your phone and let you know if you’re vulnerable to known Stagefright exploits. The app is available for download from the Google Play Store. Google will remedy it by changing its policy to sending out monthly updates, starting with Nexus. The flagship Android handset had one major flaw in the eyes of many buyers: its size.
