A team of security researchers has reportedly announced that more than one billion Android phones are under the threat of becoming spying tools for hackers. Around 400 vulnerabilities have been detected in Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips, that are used as staples in smartphone devices. The vulnerabilities are collectively termed ‘Achilles’ and allow cybercriminals to access data pertaining to the user’s location, photos, videos, and other sensitive particulars present on the handset.
As per a statement by Qualcomm, these vulnerabilities are being addressed by the company via the issuance of a new software development kit and a new compiler. It is, however, up to the phone vendors to look after the distribution of patches for each model phone that carries the affected processor.
Qualcomm has further clarified that it has no evidence regarding the current exploitation of vulnerabilities. The company has, however, urged customers to update their devices as soon as the patches are available and only proceed with the installation of applications from trusted platforms comprising the Google Play Store.
The vulnerabilities were first unveiled by Check Point, whose experts stated that it would only take users to install what appears to be a benign app, actually ridden with malware that would enable hackers to launch their attack. According to Yaniv Balmas, the Head of Cyber Research at Check Point, millions of smartphone users will have almost no way to protect themselves for a very long time if such vulnerabilities are found and utilized by malicious actors.
While Check Point has shared the findings of its research with Qualcomm and affected vendors, the company has not revealed the vulnerabilities to the public intending to restrict any opportunities to hackers. Snapdragon system-on-chip products are used on leading Google, Xiaomi, Samsung, OnePlus, and LG. iPhone users are, however, safe from Achilles, as Apple deploys its own processors.
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