Major Security Flaw in Android Phones: Hackers Can Get In With Just a Text
If you have an Android phone you may want to consider disabling all text messaging for a little while, until this horrible security problem is ironed out:
Android is the most popular mobile operating system on Earth: About 80 percent of smartphones run on it. And, according to mobile security experts at the firm Zimperium, there’s a gaping hole in the software — one that would let hackers break into someone’s phone and take over, just by knowing the phone’s number.
In this attack, the target would not need to goof up — open an attachment or download a file that’s corrupt. The malicious code would take over instantly, the moment you receive a text message.
“This happens even before the sound that you’ve received a message has even occurred,” says Joshua Drake, security researcher with Zimperium and co-author of Android Hacker’s Handbook. “That’s what makes it so dangerous. [It] could be absolutely silent. You may not even see anything.”
More: Major Flaw in Android Phones Would Let Hackers in With Just a Text : All Tech Considered : NPR