Most updates for Android are passed from Google to device manufacturers such as Samsung and then on to mobile phone operators before being pushed out to customers.
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The Stagefright bug is said to affect more than 95 per cent of all Android smartphones and can be passed from device to device by video and picture messages.
With Google, Samsung, and LG all weighing in with their plans to address not only the Stagefright vulnerability, but also security going forward on Android, we reached out to Motorola to see what they plan to do.
Google is already pushing the first such update to its Nexus devices, it said in a blogpost.
However, it has vowed to push the updates out faster and will issue a monthly update schedule to try to ensure bugs like Stagefright do not infect phones.
Previously, Google would develop a patch and distribute it to its own Nexus phones after the discovery of security flaws. The Nexus 4, 5 and 6 will also benefit from these increased Android updates. You’ll get major OS updates for at least 2 years, and security fixes for either 3 years after launch or 18 months after your device leaves the Google Store.
The first update began rolling out Wednesday and aims to address a problem with a feature in some of its devices that researchers said could allow a malicious hacker to take it over by simply sending a text. After getting this jolt Google promises monthly Android security updates to improve mobile security of its users. Samsung is in talks with carriers across the globe to implement this strategy.
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The announcements came as Adrian Ludwig, Google’s lead engineer for Android security, gave a speech at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas outlining the company’s fix. In collaboration with carriers and partners, more details about the specific models and timelines will be released soon, the report says.
