Millions of smartphones around the world are likely to be affected by a vulnerability discovered by a team of researchers at CheckPoint.
If the information was only reported this week, security specialists identified the anomaly at the end of 2020. It concerns an element related to Qualcomm's Snapdragon SoCs which equip 40% of smartphones circulating in the world, reports
Futura -Sciences
.
The flaw was identified at the level of mobile station modems (MSM) present in the SoC of the American founder.
This type of modem is in communication with Android, "and all of the phone's peripherals, such as cameras, the fingerprint sensor", specifies the specialized media.
It therefore represents an ideal target for hackers wishing to access the data of their victims.
Access to call history, SMS ...
Android communicates with this chip by means of a management interface named QMI.
Hackers could therefore exploit the flaw, which is located at this level.
In a worst-case scenario, hackers could access call history, text messages, or even eavesdrop on conversations.
However, not all phones are affected.
If your Android smartphone was released between 2007 and 2018, it is possible that it contains the flaw.
All brands are potentially affected.
According to CheckPoint researchers who alerted Qualcomm, all this time, the vulnerability has not been exploited.
A corrective patch has since been released.
However, it is advisable to check if your manufacturer has made an update with this patch available for your device.
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