Samsung Phones Are At The Risk Of Being Hacked: Here's All You Need Know
A total of 600 million Samsung phones are affected.
By John Lim — 18 Jun 2015, 01:47 PM
Heads up Samsung phone users, your phones could be at the risk of being hacked
A major vulnerability in software that comes bundled with Samsung phones has left as many as 600 million Samsung smartphone owners at risk of hacking.
businessinsider.my
Why so? According to a report by NowSecure, a Chicago-based security company, the problem was due to a build-in keyboard software called the SwiftKey.
Over 600 million Samsung mobile device users have been affected by a significant security risk on leading Samsung models, including the recently released Galaxy S6. The risk comes from a pre-installed keyboard that allows an attacker to remotely execute code as a privileged (system) user.
nowsecure.com
Because SwiftKey is a software that comes bundled with your Samsung phones, it runs in privileged context. In plain terms, it can access most of your phones functions.
The vulnerability is in the update mechanism for a Samsung-customized version of SwiftKey, available on the Samsung Galaxy S6, S5, and several other Galaxy models. When downloading updates, the Samsung devices don't encrypt the executable file, making it possible for attackers in a position to modify upstream traffic—such as those on the same Wi-Fi network—to replace the legitimate file with a malicious payload.
arstechnica.com
To add fuel to the fire, you'll not be able to uninstall the software even though you don't use it. Here's what NowSecure claims hackers could do:
2. Secretly install malicious app(s) without the user knowing
3. Tamper with how other apps work or how the phone works
4. Eavesdrop on incoming/outgoing messages or voice calls
5. Attempt to access sensitive personal data like pictures and text messages
nowsecure.com
However, other Android devices with SwiftKey seem to be safe from the attack, so this could be a problem that lies with Samsung. CMO of SwiftKey released a statement recently to address the issue.
SwiftKey has confirmed that the problem doesn’t affect the version of SwiftKey that’s available to download for any Android or iOS device from their app stores.
"We supply Samsung with the core technology that powers the word predictions in their keyboard," a SwiftKey statement said. "It appears that the way this technology was integrated on Samsung devices introduced the security vulnerability. We are doing everything we can to support our long-time partner Samsung in their efforts to resolve this obscure but important security issue."
Samsung is also stepping up to solve this problem by coming out with a patch that'll prevent such issues from happening again
"Samsung takes emerging security threats very seriously. We are aware of the recent issue reported by several media outlets and are committed to providing the latest in mobile security. Samsung Knox has the capability to update the security policy of the phones, over-the-air, to invalidate any potential vulnerabilities caused by this issue. The security policy updates will begin rolling out in a few days. In addition to the security policy update, we are also working with SwiftKey to address potential risks going forward."
But here's some good news, according to NowSecure, only Samsung phones from US tel-co carriers like T-Mobile and Verizon are affected
The list includes the Galaxy S6, S5, S4 and S4 Mini from Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. The Galaxy S III is affected as well, though it's unclear which carrier models. All of these devices have the version of SwiftKey technology that includes the vulnerability. NowSecure says it's possible other devices are affected as well.
mashable.com