Home Mobiles Google and Samsung Fix Major Camera Security Flaw of Android Phones

Google and Samsung Fix Major Camera Security Flaw of Android Phones

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The security firm Checkmarx has recently released a report where it revealed that Android-powered smartphones have a major security flaw that makes it possible for third-parties to spy on people. The security flaw uses the camera of Android-powered smartphones and it mainly affects Google and Samsung’s smartphones. Fortunately, the two companies have now released a new software update that patches the issues.

Android Camera Bug

The folks at Checkmarx are saying that the bug enabled unauthorized apps to record videos, audio, take pictures and even log GPS information. The only criteria for the bug to function was for users to give the app permission to access the internal storage space so that it could upload all the data to a remote server.

We have to mention that this is not the first time that Android-powered smartphones have had to deal with a similar issue. It all started with Google’s Marshmallow operating system which changed the way that smartphones deal with app permissions. In addition, Marshmallow also started utilizing pop-ups to enable app permissions for the camera and microphone.

Google Fixes the Issue

On the bright side of things, Checkmarx made the report public and Google didn’t waste any time and already released a software fix for the problem. Google has confirmed that all its Android partners can access a new patch that fixes the camera flaw. However, the Android parent didn’t want to publicly confirm what are the exact smartphones that have been affected by the security flaw.

Final Words

The only thing that we know for certain is that Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy smartphones are now officially safe against the security flaw. Unfortunately, we don’t know when other OEMs who are using Google’s latest Android operating system are going to receive the new update so that users can feel safe.