Android suffers from a total of 52 security holes, Google announces in its traditional monthly newsletter. Determined to protect users against malware and hackers, the American giant has launched the deployment of a corrective patch on all compatible smartphones.
On September 8, 2020, Google published the Android security bulletin for September 2020. Among the 52 flaws identified by Google teams, there are 8 critical-level breaches. The remaining 44 faults are stamped "high". It all depends on how easily a hacker can exploit the flaw as well as the potential consequences for users.
The breaches spotted this month concern all devices running Android 8, Android 9 or Android 10.
A flaw allows a hacker to install malware on your Android smartphone, download the fix
"The most serious of these issues is a critical security vulnerability in the Media Framework component that could allow a remote attacker using a specially crafted file to execute arbitrary code in the context of a privileged process" explains the post from Google.
By exploiting this flaw, an attacker could theoretically install malware without your knowledge without needing physical access to your smartphone. Fortunately, there is no indication that this breach has ever been exploited by a hacker.
Unsurprisingly, several of the flaws identified by Google concern components designed by Mediatek and Qualcomm. “Android partners are informed of all problems at least one month before publication,” said Google in its report. However, depending on the brand of your device, it may take longer or shorter for the patch to arrive. Not all manufacturers are so quick to integrate patches into their overlay.
To check if the September 2020 patch is already available on your smartphone, simply go to the Settings menu, then to About device, and then to Software update. If an update is available, just click Start Update. Have you already been able to install the September 2020 patch? We await your testimony in the comments below.