Android users told to deprecate two dangerous settings as Google issues ‘critical’ warning

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GOOGLE has warned Android users of a series of “critical” cyber flaws that allow hackers to access their phones.

but only a select few android Devices are affected.

If you’re using an affected device, you should protect yourself by adjusting two features in your settings that turn off Wi-Fi calling and Voice-over-LTE.Credit: AFP

of Vulnerability According to Google’s Project Zero team, which specializes in security research, it affects phones as well as cars.

This includes Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 devices. Google and Samsung’s S22, M33, M13, M12, A71, A53, A33, A21s, A13, A12, and A04 devices.

Vivo mobile devices including S16, S15, S6, X70, X60 and X30 series are affected.

Vehicles using the Exynos Auto T5123 chipset are also at risk.

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Affected devices use one of Samsung’s modems and should be safe as many S22 phones sold outside Europe and some African countries use Qualcomm modems instead. is.

Owners of these devices are asked to turn off two features in settings: Wi-Fi Calling and Voice-over-LTE.

This helps keep hackers out while Samsung’s cyber staff works to fix the flaw.

Members of Google’s Project Zero team found four “critical” vulnerabilities and 14 others.

Four of the worst cyber flaws give hackers access to your device through your device. telephone number This is also known as “remote code execution from the Internet to baseband”.

The other 14 vulnerabilities are less severe as they require either a malicious mobile network operator or an attacker with local access to the device.

Luckily for Pixel owners, the device already has the fixed security update.

However, other users with affected devices should tweak two features in their settings to turn off Wi-Fi calling and Voice-over-LTE to protect themselves. .

“As always, we encourage end users to update their devices as soon as possible to run the latest builds that fix both public and undisclosed security vulnerabilities. ’” the team wrote.

Google is generally keen to alert Android users, but there is one exception.

“In rare cases where we assessed that attackers would benefit significantly more than defenders if a vulnerability were disclosed, we made an exception to our policy to delay disclosure of that vulnerability,” the team explained. bottom.

“The combination of the level of access that these vulnerabilities provide and the speed at which we believe credible operational exploits could be created is extremely rare, thus allowing access to the Internet.” We have decided to make exceptions to our policy to delay disclosure of four vulnerabilities: – baseband remote code execution.”