Android Vulnerability - Stagefright - 950 Million Phones Are At Risk

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mso-ansi-language:EN-US;}A new vulnerability in Android smartphones , named “Stagefright” has placed almost one billion users (95% of Android devices ) at risk that allows hackers to remotely access a device by simply sending a multimedia text message.

Dubbed Stagefright , it is the biggest smartphone flaw discovered and considered highly dangerous, as hackers are able to exploit it without the need for user interaction.

So What Would Happen ?

Once the attackers get in, they would be able do anything — copy data, delete it, take over your microphone and camera to monitor your every word and move

So How Does It Happen ?

To compromise your Android handset, all a hacker needs is your phone number, Then, they can send a specially-crafted media file via MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service ) text message that will remotely execute the code and compromise the device.

To make matters worse you don’t even need to view the media file: when the message is received, Android will display notifications that trigger the code and it’s even possible that by the time you go to look at the message, the attack could have deleted the message. You may never even know what that you have been attacked.

Why does it happen :The reason is that Android processes incoming media files in text messages before you even see them. But this means that malicious code can infect the system as soon as it hits the phone, too.

What Phones Are Susceptible To Stagefright ?

All Android versions 2.2 and newer are susceptible to this attack.

What Are Google Doing About This ?

Google know about it and have issued a patch , however due to the way updates from Google are handled , as Google send the updates to the phone maker and then to the telco it can be a while till we see this patched.

Estimates from security experts state that only 20% to 50% of devices will actually be patched

How can I prevent this happening ?

In lieu of a security update, users can protect themselves against the attack by disabling automatic MMS retrieval in their messaging app of choice or in their Multimedia message settings on their phone. Also users are advised against opening MMSs from unfamiliar numbers.

Want To Know If Your Phone Is Susceptible To Stagefright

If you install this app it will tell you ; Stagefright Detector