14 DAY TRIAL // A few weeks ago, we told you about Stagefright, a newly discovered Android flaw affecting a whopping 95% of Android devices running version 2.2 to 5.1. The vulnerability is so great that it has been dubbed the “Mother of all Android Vulnerabilities.”
But the thing is, Google has sent out to its partners patches meant to fix this grave vulnerability. However, most device manufacturers haven’t yet taken steps to ensure customers’ data is being protected.
Well, Samsung seems to be the first device maker to be taking this issue seriously. The Korean tech giant has just announced the dawn of a new Android security update protocol.
Basically, Samsung wants to make sure Android vulnerabilities are being squashed as soon as possible, without the delay that usually occurs between rolling out the security patch and carriers actually implementing the fix.
Samsung understands the risk Stagefright poses
What’s more, the company assures its users that it has worked out with carrier partners ways to quickly patch the problematic Stagefright vulnerability, which can infect Android devices by virtue of a "simple" malicious MMS.
With this, Samsung says that it recognizes the importance of timely applied fixes, which is why the company wants to deliver security updates regularly, about once a month to be more precise.
“With the recent security issues, we have been re-thinking the approach to getting security updates to our devices in a more timely manner. Since software is constantly exploited in new ways, developing a fast response process to deliver security patches to our devices is critical to keep them protected,” says Executive Vice President Dong Jun Koh in the official blog post.
For the time being, the Korean tech giant did not go into more details regarding how these security patches will be pushed and didn’t share with us a detailed timeline either. Although it promised it would come back to the matter soon enough.
Samsung also notes it is involved in active discussions with carriers trying to get them to implement the new “Android Security Update Process.” Actually, in the US, Sprint has already started rolling out a Stagefright fix for some of its Samsung handsets including the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy Note Edge, and Galaxy S5.