Hackers can take over many cell phones from Samsung, Google, and Vivo, among others, as well as cars that use Samsung modems. This was reported by Google researchers, who stated that hackers only need to know the phone number of the device. The popular Samsung Galaxy S22, among others, is underpowered.
Google has found a total of eighteen previously unknown vulnerabilities in Samsung Exynos modems. Four of the issues allow hackers to gain access to phones.
Google researchers expect that hackers can quickly find a way to exploit the vulnerabilities. After all, they can be quickly abused by experienced attackers and no user action is required to exploit them. Only the user’s phone number would be necessary to carry out the attack.
Security updates required
Google itself has already fixed the vulnerabilities with a recent security update for its Pixel phones. But Samsung, which also supplied other popular devices like the Galaxy A53 and A33 with affected modems, will have to provide a software update. Just like the Chinese Vivo which has marketed many devices with these modems.
What can you do on your own?
Users of affected devices who have not yet received an update can make calls to themselves over WiFi (VoWi-Fi) and turn off Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE). These steps also defuse security vulnerabilities, but users lose functionality.
Project Team Zero
Google’s “Project Zero” research team exposed security vulnerabilities after 90 days since 2020, regardless of whether the company has patch released or not. The team may deviate from this if detection is more appropriate for attackers than for vulnerable users.
Project Zero says it’s launching now “because of the very rare combination of the amount of access you get with these vulnerabilities and the speed with which they can be exploited.”
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