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Your Android smartphone can be hacked with one message
- Thread starter Kevin Lancaster
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so 12 usersThe_Unbeliever
Honorary Master
Windows Mobile does not offer support for google hangouts...
Arthur
Honorary Master
Zimperium, who discovered the flaw:
"The flaw was uncovered by security researchers at Zimperium. It is the biggest smartphone flaw ever discovered.
“The leading smartphone operating system carries a scary code in its heart named Stagefright,” the researchers explain. “We believe these to be the worst Android vulnerabilities discovered to date. These issues in Stagefright code critically expose 95 percent of Android devices, an estimated 950 million devices.”
To compromise your Android handset, all a hacker needs is your cell phone number, Zimperium says. Then, they can send a specially-crafted media file via MMS text message that will remotely execute code and compromise the device. Worse still, you don’t even need to view the media file: when the message is received, Android will display notifications that trigger the code. It’s even possible that by the time you go to look at the message, the attack could have deleted the message. You may never even know what hit you."
...To be clear, just copying a specially-made media file onto an Android handset could trigger an attack, this isn’t just an MMS issue. It’s just that MMS is the scariest method for being infected because it requires no action from the user.
"The flaw was uncovered by security researchers at Zimperium. It is the biggest smartphone flaw ever discovered.
“The leading smartphone operating system carries a scary code in its heart named Stagefright,” the researchers explain. “We believe these to be the worst Android vulnerabilities discovered to date. These issues in Stagefright code critically expose 95 percent of Android devices, an estimated 950 million devices.”
To compromise your Android handset, all a hacker needs is your cell phone number, Zimperium says. Then, they can send a specially-crafted media file via MMS text message that will remotely execute code and compromise the device. Worse still, you don’t even need to view the media file: when the message is received, Android will display notifications that trigger the code. It’s even possible that by the time you go to look at the message, the attack could have deleted the message. You may never even know what hit you."
...To be clear, just copying a specially-made media file onto an Android handset could trigger an attack, this isn’t just an MMS issue. It’s just that MMS is the scariest method for being infected because it requires no action from the user.
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PostmanPot
Honorary Master
/popcorn 
Of course not, i**** is perfect unlike every other piece of software in the universe. It's all the extra premiums you see. Those premiums make it perfect. If you know someone with an Apple phone, 1. My condolences, and 2. send them the following text message:
http://appleinsider.com/articles/15...s-handling-crashes-iphones-with-a-simple-text
Kloofvreter
Honorary Master
I wouldn't want to spoil your fun and quell your rhetoric but that was patched a while ago.
I wouldn't want to spoil your fun and quell your rhetoric but that was patched a while ago.
Are you implying that this won't be patched? Like every other software exploit/bug? I mean I know from past experience you live in your own world a little but are you really that out of touch with reality?
I'm out of touch with reality? Who's the one trying to compare a bug with an exploitable hack?
I'm sure google will fix the exploit but seriously, trying to defend android by attacking another platform is well, kind of lame. One's got nothing to do with the other.
PostmanPot
Honorary Master
Some parade raining going down I see.
And let it stay that was for ever.
IOne's got nothing to do with the other.
And let it stay that was for ever.
I'm out of touch with reality? Who's the one trying to compare a bug with an exploitable hack?
I'm sure google will fix the exploit but seriously, trying to defend android by attacking another platform is well, kind of lame. One's got nothing to do with the other.
Yes. You are very out of touch with reality, where us mortals live. For example, in the real world I was responding to a question. In your mind, it appears that there's some battle going on with "attacking" this and "defending" that and it's so very much affecting you personally for some reason.
Bugs exist in software. They get discovered, exploited and eventually fixed and life goes on. Someone asked what seemed like a silly question and I gave them the answer they deserved. That's it.
Arthur
Honorary Master
Google have fixed it, back in April already.
The problem is that around 90% of Android phones won't get the patch, as Zimperiuym estimate.
The problem is that around 90% of Android phones won't get the patch, as Zimperiuym estimate.
BouncyNinja
Executive Member
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Yes, this used to crash whatsapp, but it didn't give some hacker access to my phone,
Ockie
Resident Lead Bender
mms is disabled on my phone I think. It can receive MMS.
I believe a fix is already available. However, now the real weakness of the Android environment shows itself as users wait for it to get made available to their phones by the useless vendors.
furpile
Expert Member
Luckily it's already out on CM12. But the majority on stock firmware are not so lucky.
MMS disabled. Last time I sent or received one was a decade ago. It was cool back then, being able to send pictures, sounds and videos to my mother's phone. I will pass this on, and get as many people as possible to disable their MMS auto download feature.