Android Security Flaw Erases All Data

Technical University Berlin's Ravi Borgaonkar said websites have tricked Android owners into activating malicious code by selecting on-screen phone numbers.

He added that no Android device could tell the difference between real phone numbers to USSD codes recognized by smartphones as a set of instructions to erase the data from its memory card.

A proportion of the malware seems to only target Samsung devices. Once the malware triggers a factory reset, there was no method of restoring the data, he added.

Android developer Google has since issued a fix, with Borgaonkar urging Android smartphone owners to ensure they have the latest updates installed on their device.

McAfee security expert Jimmy Shah, however, stressed the bug was not an appealing option to cybercriminals. "There's no benefit to the attacker if they can't make money off it or they can't steal your data," he told the BBC. "It's really not that useful."

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  • okibrian
    Ooooh, is that a feature? Innovation?
    Reply
  • joytech22
    Android Security Flaw fixed: Could have erased All Data

    This is what the title SHOULD have been.
    At least these fixes were released almost instantly last week or the week before.
    Reply
  • how do I get the updates for my samsung infuse?
    Reply
  • ddpruitt
    Android developer Google has since issued a fix, with Borgaonkar urging Android smartphone owners to ensure they have the latest updates installed on their device.

    Funny, I'm still waiting for ICS!

    One of the biggest problems with Android is manufacturers don't take security seriously.
    Reply
  • Marco925
    okibrianOoooh, is that a feature? Innovation?Hey, at least android has a file system from which you can attempt file recovery from. Do you know how hard it is to recover from an iPhone?
    Reply
  • joytech22
    okibrianOoooh, is that a feature? Innovation?Better than Androids biggest competition:

    iPhone 5 "features":
    -Easy-Scratch Aluminium Back! (Not anodized hahah!)
    -Extreme camera flaring, official Apple fix is to hold it differently (I'm not kidding, they actually said to angle it differently in another article I read on another site)

    Aaand about 4 more I can't remember..
    Reply
  • ddpruitt
    9409952 said:
    Hey, at least android has a file system from which you can attempt file recovery from. Do you know how hard it is to recover from an iPhone?

    Hey could be worse, it could erase everything when you do an update!

    Ohhh wait it does that already :D
    Reply
  • reprotected
    *Popcorn*
    Reply
  • okibrian
    @Ninjamonkeh
    Just like you do for iOS devices?

    @Marco925
    Not that hard because I've already done it. You just have to be smart that's all. I'm just saying.

    @joytech22
    I'll take a scratch any day over all my data being lost to such piss poor security. I always have a phone in a case any way.
    Reply
  • joytech22
    okibrian@joytech22I'll take a scratch any day over all my data being lost to such piss poor security. I always have a phone in a case any way.
    Fool, this has already been patched if you had read the article. In fact my Note 10.1 3G nor my Nexus are vulnerable to this.
    Reply