Indian Govt Issues Warning Highlighting Severe Vulnerabilities on Samsung Phones

The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) of the Government of India has issued a high-risk warning for all Samsung mobile users in the country tagging critical security vulnerabilities spotted on various Android OSes running on Samsung smartphones. If the attackers get hold of these vulnerabilities, users could potentially lose control of their phones, and their sensitive information could be mishandled. Here’s what the warning is about and how you can protect yourself from it.

According to CERT-In, the highlighted vulnerabilities are after Samsung smartphones majorly. The devices running on Android 11, 12, 13, and 14 are being targeted including the popular Galaxy Z Fold5, Z Flip5, and Galaxy S23 series. The authorities have shared a list of vulnerabilities detected on Samsung phones that could convey the extent of damage attackers can cause if these bugs are exploited.

The list is as follows –

• It could steal your phone’s secret code or SIM PIN
• It could send out commands to the phone with the attackers gaining elevated privileges
• It could sneak into your AR Emoji files
• The bugs could steal important and sensitive user data
• Get access and change the system clock on the castle gate by bypassing Knox Guard
• Hijack certain app interactions in the contacts
• Take control of your phone by executing arbitrary code without your consent
• Take over the phone

What Can You Do?

Bugs or vulnerabilities can cause more harm than you can comprehend. However, as usual, there are always ways to steer clear of such instances. The best way to do it is to update all the apps installed on your phone. You can use the Google Play Store to check for updates and get the latest patches. 

Most importantly, go to Settings and check if your phone’s UI has any incoming updates. If yes, it’s high time to download and install it right away. Doing so fortifies your phone’s security against attackers and bugs preventing them from gaining access to your device. Samsung has already released a security patch for December 2023 carrying fixes to the most crucial and high severity vulnerabilities that you can check out here.

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