High-Risk Alert Issued By Indian Government!

Warning! Samsung Users in India! The Indian government’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has issued a high-risk alert regarding critical vulnerabilities in some Samsung devices. These vulnerabilities could potentially allow attackers to steal sensitive information, access your device, and even execute malicious code.

What’s the issue?

The vulnerabilities stem from various issues in Samsung’s software, affecting devices running Android versions 11, 12, 13, and 14. These weaknesses include:

• Improper access control in Knox features: Knox is Samsung’s security platform, and this vulnerability could allow attackers to bypass its protections and access sensitive data.
• Integer overflow flaw in facial recognition software: This flaw could allow attackers to gain unauthorized access to your phone using facial recognition.
• Authorization issues with the AR Emoji app: Attackers could exploit this vulnerability to access data stored in the AR Emoji app.
• Incorrect handling of errors in Knox security software: This could allow attackers to crash the software and potentially gain access to your device.

What’s at risk with Samsung Mobile?

If attackers exploit these vulnerabilities, they could:

• Steal your personal information: This includes your contacts, messages, photos, and even financial data.
• Access your device: Attackers could gain control of your phone and use it to send messages, make calls, or install malware.
• Execute malicious code: This could allow attackers to harm your device or steal even more data.

How it happened?

Cert-In says that some problems exist in different parts of the system. “Due to the improper access control flaw in KnoxCustomManagerService and SmartManagerCN component, integer overflow vulnerability in facepreprocessing library; improper authorization verification vulnerability in AR Emoji, improper exception management vulnerability in Knox Guard, various out of bounds write vulnerabilities in bootloader, HDCP in HAL, libIfaaca and libsavsac.so components, improper size check vulnerability in softsimd, improper input validation vulnerability in Smart Clip and implicit intent hijacking vulnerability in contacts.”

These problems make it easier for unauthorized people to get access or do things they shouldn’t. There are issues with checking sizes, managing exceptions, verifying permissions, and handling certain types of data. These problems might let someone do things they’re not supposed to on your device.

What should you do?

Don’t panic! There are steps you can take to protect yourself:

1. Update your phone immediately: Samsung has released security patches to fix these vulnerabilities. Go to your device’s settings and check for updates.
2. Enable automatic updates: This will ensure that your phone is always up-to-date with the latest security patches.
3. Be cautious about what you install: Only install apps from trusted sources.
4. Beware of phishing attacks: Attackers may try to trick you into downloading malware or clicking on malicious links. Be careful about emails, text messages, and websites that you don’t recognize.
5. Back up your data regularly: This will help you recover your information if your device is compromised.

Current Models for Monthly Security Updates²

• Galaxy Z Fold2 5G, Galaxy Z Fold3 5G, Galaxy Z Flip3 5G, Galaxy Z Fold4, Galaxy Z Flip4, Galaxy Z Fold5, Galaxy Z Flip5, W23, W23 flip, W24, W24 Flip
• Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 5G, Galaxy S20+, Galaxy S20+ 5G, Galaxy S20 Ultra, Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, Galaxy S20 FE, Galaxy S20 FE 5G, Galaxy S21 5G, Galaxy S21+ 5G, Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, Galaxy S21 FE 5G, Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, Galaxy S22 Ultra, Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, Galaxy S23 Ultra
• Galaxy Note20, Galaxy Note20 5G, Galaxy Note20 Ultra, Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
• Enterprise Models: Galaxy A52, Galaxy A52 5G, Galaxy A52s 5G, Galaxy A53 5G, Galaxy A54 5G, Galaxy Xcover5, Galaxy Xcover6 Pro

Samsung has released a fix to these threats, users are advised to update it as earliest as possible.