A recent report has identified three major security vulnerabilities in Android that can lead to the compromise of millions of devices. These bugs affect Android versions 2.3 Gingerbread, 3.0 Honeycomb, 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, 4.1-4.3 Jellybean, and 5.0 Lollipop. Here’s a look at the most significant security problems with each of these versions. Fortunately, these bugs are not widespread, and developers are actively fixing them as quickly as possible.

ALHACK

A bug discovered by Zimperium in July 2015 has caused billions of Android devices to become vulnerable to hackers. This vulnerability, dubbed Stagefright, exists in a media playback tool on Android. A malicious hacker could send a text message to the affected device to take control of the handset and steal personal information. The vulnerability affects about 95 percent of Android devices worldwide, according to Zimperium.

Researchers discovered the security bug by analyzing a large range of Android devices. They found that devices running version nine to 12 of Android were vulnerable. Although the exploits for versions 10 and 12 are different, the end result is the same: an infected smartphone. The exploitation method is similar to previous vulnerabilities. The bug will allow an attacker to install malware on the device and steal personal information from it. The bug also has the potential to remotely shut down the device. While CVE 2016-3861 is designed for research purposes, it is highly likely to cause major damage to Android devices.

Stagefright

One of the biggest stories in security last year was the discovery of a serious bug in Android’s libStagefright multimedia library. This flaw in Stagefright enabled remote code execution after receiving an MMS message, downloading an MPEG-4 video file, or opening multimedia content. The exploit was so sophisticated that it could virtually kill an Android device. Unfortunately, the bug was not fixed until October, after the Stagefright 2.0 vulnerability was discovered.

The exploit bypasses the “Adress Space Layout Randomisation” process, which is intended to protect memory. However, Android manufacturers typically lag behind in making patches available for these kinds of bugs. For this reason, FORBES contacted some of Android’s biggest manufacturers, but none responded. However, privacy-focused Blackphone maker Silent Circle took the bug and applied the fixes Drake provided in his research.

CVE-2021-42598

A new report found that several high-severity vulnerabilities exist in the mobile framework of Android devices. These bugs can enable attackers to install malicious software and gain control of the underlying operating system. The flaws were discovered by the Microsoft 365 Defender Research Team on May 27. Google updated their Play Protect service to make it harder for hackers to exploit the vulnerability. The report also revealed that some phone repair shops may have installed vulnerable applications.

The research has uncovered that the cryptographic keymaster of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S21 smartphones has serious flaws. These flaws have the potential to allow hackers to steal the keys used to unlock security-critical data on these devices. Affected devices are vulnerable to IV reuse attacks, which affect smartphones running ARM’s TrustZone technology. While these flaws affect Samsung devices, they affect all Android-based devices.