Samsung Mobile Users' Security is Compromised, Government Issues Alert

Specifically targeting owners of Samsung Galaxy phones, the Indian government has released further security alerts this week. A security alert has been released by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) that identifies many vulnerabilities that affect millions of Samsung Galaxy phones, including both older and younger versions.

Released on December 13, the security notice identifies the issue as high-risk and stresses how critical it is that current Samsung owners upgrade the firmware or operating system of their phones as soon as possible.

"Several vulnerabilities have been reported in Samsung products that could allow an attacker to bypass current security restrictions, access sensitive data and execute arbitrary code on a targeted system," CERT said in its vulnerability notification.

According to the report, the software vulnerable to this threat includes Samsung Mobile Android versions 11, 12, 13, and 14. These vulnerabilities are weak points in the device and its firewalls.

• If a cyber attacker finds these holes, he can steal the phone and the secret code (SIM PIN).
• Call voice commands to the phone (send with elevated rights).
• Check out the private AR emoticon files.
• Replace the castle gate bell (Knox Guard lock).
• Phone and file spoofing (access to arbitrary files). 
• Steal important information (sensitive information). 
• Control your phone as a puppet (run any code). 
• Take over the entire phone (threatens the target system).  

Instructions for Samsung mobile phone users 

Users of Samsung Galaxy phones are advised to quickly update the device and operating system (OS) and firmware recommended in the reports. Failure to do so may leave Samsung models vulnerable to potential threats from hackers. 

What can be the harm if the software is not updated?

Ignoring system updates can allow hackers to bypass device security and gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. Samsung has released a fix for these threats; users are advised to get it as soon as possible.