14 DAY TRIAL // Google released the December's Android security patch for supported Pixel and Nexus devices, addressing more than 40 severe vulnerabilities across multiple core components.
According to the latest Android Security Bulletin, Google has patched a total of 47 critical vulnerabilities for the media framework, system, framework, MediaTek components, Linux kernel, as well as NVIDIA and Qualcomm components. The update also patches 48 security vulnerabilities specific to supported Pixel and Nexus devices.
The most severe of all the issues patched by Google engineers in December's Android Security Patch is a critical security vulnerability in Media framework, which could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code within the context of a privileged process using a malicious file.
"The severity assessment is based on the effect that exploiting the vulnerability would possibly have on an affected device, assuming the platform and service mitigations are turned off for development purposes or if successfully bypassed," writes Google in the Android Security Bulletin for December 2017.
Android December 2017 Security Patch now rolling out to supported devices
Google has started rolling out the Android December 2017 Security Patch to all supported Pixel and Nexus devices worldwide running the Android 8.0 Oreo software update, including Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel, Pixel XL, Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, as well as other devices that Google is still officially supporting.
We recommend all users to update their devices as soon as possible to December's Android Security Patch for Android 8.0 Oreo. In the meantime, it looks like Google plans to release the Android 8.1 Oreo software update tomorrow, December 6, 2017, which will be rolling out as well to all supported Pixel and Nexus devices in the coming days.
Android 8.1 Oreo will bring a wide range of new features and improvements, in particular support for Google Pixel 2's hidden imaging co-processor, which, once activated, will enable users to take HDR+ photos with the Camera app, as well as any other photo app in the Google Play Store that uses the Android Camera API.