Millions of Android users warned by Google over hack that lets strangers see everything on your phone
GOOGLE has warned that Android device makers have not rolled out an important update made available in the summer putting people’s data at risk.
Experts from the firm pointed the finger at Google itself as one of the manufacturers who have been too slow to sort it out.
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The company’s Project Zero team who hunt down bugs also called out Samsung, Xiaomi and Oppo.
A series of problems were found in a piece of tech in some smartphones called Mali GPU.
Arm, the firm that makes the driver, fixed the issue way back in the summer time.
It’s then up to the device brands themselves to implement the repair in software updates made available to users.
This means phones with Mali GPU in them are still vulnerable to hackers, even though patches are out there.
“Just as users are recommended to patch as quickly as they can once a release containing security updates is available, so the same applies to vendors and companies,” Project Zero said.
“Companies need to remain vigilant, follow upstream sources closely, and do their best to provide complete patches to users as soon as possible.”
The five vulnerabilities are rated medium severity, but they could still be used by a hacker to gain full access to the system and allow “broad access” to user data.
Devices with a Snapdragon chipset are not affected.
Google Pixel 7, Xiaomi 12 Pro, Oppo Find X5 Pro and Samsung’s Galaxy S10, S9, A51 and A71 handsets are among the list of products using Mali GPU, according to Lowyat.net.
Hopefully the warning will push manufacturers to roll out an update addressing the problem.
So keep an eye out for any patches that come your way – and have automatic updates on to receive the fix as soon as it’s available.
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