A security hole affecting several Samsung devices has been uncovered, which could allow apps to access user data, as well as leaving a smartphone vulnerable to malicious applications and bricking.
Discovered and explained by XDA member "alephzain," the vulnerability derives from the Exynos 4, an ARM-based system-on-chip powering a number of Samsung handsets.
The developer created an exploit which he claimed bypasses system permissions, subsequently allowing any application to obtain data from the device's RAM or inject malicious code into the kernel.
Alephzain stated that he uncovered the vulnerability upon trying to find a new method to root his Galaxy S3. The exploit itself, however, affects the Galaxy S2, Galaxy Note and Meizu MX, while Google's Nexus 10 is unaffected due to the utilization of the Exynos 5 chip.
"The good news is we can easily obtain root on these devices and the bad is there is no control over it," Alephzain said.