• Latest
  • All
  • How To
Android-Malware

Discovered Exploit Threatens Security of Over 900 Million Android Devices

August 9, 2016
kenya-parliament

Parliament Invites Public Feedback on Virtual Asset Bill 2025

May 30, 2025
ConnectedAfrica2025(Day4)-meta-foondamate

Connected Africa 2025 Day 4: FoondaMate and Meta Team Up to Bring AI to Classrooms

May 29, 2025
google-veo-3

Actors and Film Crews Are Worried About Veo 3 Taking Their Jobs

May 29, 2025
iOS 26

Apple Plans Big Rename for iOS and macOS at WWDC 2025

May 29, 2025
DHgate Tablet Cases deals
University student fined for defamatory Facebook posts

University Student Fined KES 7.5 Million for Defamatory Facebook Posts

May 29, 2025
AI Africa policies database

New Platform Brings All African AI Policies Under One Database

May 28, 2025
POATE 2025

Kenya’s Tourism Sector Grows as Travel Gets Easier Across East Africa

May 28, 2025
sodium-ion battery

Researchers Develop Sodium-Ion Battery That Charges to 80% in 6 Minutes

May 27, 2025
TV Gambling Ads

Regulator Fines Stations Using Religious Shows to Push Gambling

May 27, 2025
Connected Africa Summit 2025

Connected Africa 2025 Day 2: Focus on Digital Inclusion & Cybersecurity

May 27, 2025
whatsapp chatbots

iPad Users May Finally Get a Native WhatsApp App

May 28, 2025
Connected Africa Summit

Connected Africa Summit Calls for Unified Tech Vision

May 28, 2025
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
No Result
View All Result
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
No Result
View All Result
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
No Result
View All Result

Discovered Exploit Threatens Security of Over 900 Million Android Devices

Emmanuel Chenze by Emmanuel Chenze
August 9, 2016
in News
Reading Time: 2 mins read
264
0
Android-Malware

Android-Malware-2

That you or your device, regardless of platform, are not safe online is not something new. It has been proven time and again that mobile devices are as vulnerable to attacks as other computing devices have over the years.

Particularly, Android devices have borne the brunt of most exploits recently. For instance, in July last year, security firm Zimperium announced that it had discovered a deadly vulnerability in Android. The vulnerability, which went on to be known by its nickname “Stagefright” affected virtually any device with a text messaging application meaning that over a billion devices running Android were at risk of malware injection through most major mobile messaging apps including Google’s own Hangouts.

Last month, security research firm Check Point announced the existence of HummingBad (Lookout, another security research firm, called it Shedun), a vulnerability originating from China which used a legitimate ad network to attack devices that visited certain websites and attempted to gain root access all the while spying on the users of such devices. Over 10 million Android devices belonging to various users were said to have been affected with several Asian countries (India, Indonesia, China and the Phillipines) topping the list of nations where users most fell at risk.

Fast forward a month later, Check Point announced yesterday at a major security conference of the existence of yet another equally bigger exploit codenamed Quadrooter.

Photo: securityintelligence.com
Photo: securityintelligence.com

According to the firm, the vulnerability lies in the special code included in Qualcomm devices that can be taken advantage of by third party applications if a user is tricked into installing them resulting in the said apps getting access to elevated privileges (root) and as a result able to do just about anything any person with ill/malicious intent would want them to do.

Over 900 Million Android devices are affected by Quadrooter

The vulnerability appears to be limited to just devices running Android and powered by Qualcomm’s mobile Snapdragon processors. Being the industry leader in the mobile chip-making business, this means that 80% of all Android devices are susceptible to attacks this way. Even the smartphone touted to be “the most secure smartphone on the planet”, the recently-unveiled BlackBerry DTEK50, is not immune to this, it’s equally affected.

Since Qualcomm was notified of the exploit’s existence by Check Point over 90 days ago, as is considered an industry best practice before announcing publicly, it has already released a patch to its various partners (device makers) who will, in turn, make it available to their users in about a month’s time. So there’s no need for alarm. Since the vulnerability can only be exploited if a rogue app is installed, those who’ve never strayed from the Play Store should be the last to be worried. Unless, of course, you’ve been downloading the many imitations that always manage to escape the Play Store’s checks and somehow find their way to the platform. Some of the flaws have already been fixed in the monthly security patches that Google releases. Still, better safe than sorry.

Check Point has provided an app that makes it easier to find out if your device is one of the 900 million said to be affected.

quadrooter_app

Tags: AndroidGoogleMalwareQualcomm
SendShare146Tweet92
Emmanuel Chenze

Emmanuel Chenze

Emmanuel writes on mobile hardware, software and platforms.

Related Posts

google-veo-3

Actors and Film Crews Are Worried About Veo 3 Taking Their Jobs

May 29, 2025
veo 3

Veo 3 by Google Sets a New Standard in AI Video Creation

May 28, 2025
Apple-Glasses

Apple Is Planning to Launch Smart Glasses by 2026 to Rival Meta and Google

May 28, 2025
google-chrome

Google Chrome Will Start Automatically Replacing Your Weak Passwords

May 22, 2025
google-meet

Google Meet Brings Real-Time Language Translation with Gemini

May 21, 2025
Google I/O 2025

Google I/O 2025 Highlights: Gemini, XR Glasses & Project Astra

May 21, 2025

Latest

kenya-parliament

Parliament Invites Public Feedback on Virtual Asset Bill 2025

May 30, 2025
ConnectedAfrica2025(Day4)-meta-foondamate

Connected Africa 2025 Day 4: FoondaMate and Meta Team Up to Bring AI to Classrooms

May 29, 2025
google-veo-3

Actors and Film Crews Are Worried About Veo 3 Taking Their Jobs

May 29, 2025
iOS 26

Apple Plans Big Rename for iOS and macOS at WWDC 2025

May 29, 2025
University student fined for defamatory Facebook posts

University Student Fined KES 7.5 Million for Defamatory Facebook Posts

May 29, 2025
AI Africa policies database

New Platform Brings All African AI Policies Under One Database

May 28, 2025

Best devices

budget smartwatches 2025

Best Budget Smartwatches To Buy in Kenya 2025

February 13, 2025

Best Infinix Smartphones To Buy in Kenya 2024

February 13, 2025

Best Laptops for Battery Life in 2024

August 21, 2024

Best “Battery Warrior” Smartphones To Buy in 2024

August 22, 2024

Parliament Invites Public Feedback on Virtual Asset Bill 2025

May 30, 2025

Connected Africa 2025 Day 4: FoondaMate and Meta Team Up to Bring AI to Classrooms

May 29, 2025

Techweez is a fast growing influential source of technology news, reviews and analysis by leading tech geeks in the industry.

Follow Us

Editorials

Actors and Film Crews Are Worried About Veo 3 Taking Their Jobs

Samsung QLED TVs Now Officially Certified for Real Quantum Dot Technology

Trump’s Tariffs Will Be the End of Affordable Tech

5 Ways to Prep Your Tech for Resale

The Weaponization of PDFs: How Cybercriminals Are Exploiting a Trusted Format

Introducing A Brainbox Quiz: Techweez’s Monthly Trivia Night!

More News

Kenya’s Tourism Sector Grows as Travel Gets Easier Across East Africa

Researchers Develop Sodium-Ion Battery That Charges to 80% in 6 Minutes

Regulator Fines Stations Using Religious Shows to Push Gambling

Connected Africa 2025 Day 2: Focus on Digital Inclusion & Cybersecurity

iPad Users May Finally Get a Native WhatsApp App

Connected Africa Summit Calls for Unified Tech Vision

  • Terms Of Use
  • Techweez Brand
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2024 Techweez - Palahala Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites.
A Palahala Media Group Brand. All rights reserved.
.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
Crunchy Cookies 🍪 Ahead!

Hey there! Just a heads-up: we're big fans of cookies - both the digital and edible kind! 🍪 We use our cookies and some from third parties to ensure your browsing experience on our site is smooth sailing and secure.

 

But wait, there's more! We also use cookies to gather stats and insights on how you navigate our site. It's like getting a behind-the-scenes peek at your digital adventures!

 

Don't worry, you're in control. You can adjust your cookie settings anytime to suit your preferences. Feeling curious? Dive into our Privacy Policy for all the juicy details. Happy browsing! 🚀

Functional Always active
Listen, this legal stuff is about as exciting as watching paint dry. But it basically says we only use your stuff for what you asked us to do, and nobody else gets to peek!
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
It's those sneaky cookie crumbs websites leave behind to count visitors, like counting ants at a picnic! Totally harmless, just for fun facts. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
Hey there! Just letting you know we use some fancy gizmos to remember your preferences. This way, we can show you ads that are, well, not completely bananas.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Make cookies
{title} {title} {title}
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
Crunchy Cookies 🍪 Ahead!
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
Listen, this legal stuff is about as exciting as watching paint dry. But it basically says we only use your stuff for what you asked us to do, and nobody else gets to peek!
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
It's those sneaky cookie crumbs websites leave behind to count visitors, like counting ants at a picnic! Totally harmless, just for fun facts. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
Hey there! Just letting you know we use some fancy gizmos to remember your preferences. This way, we can show you ads that are, well, not completely bananas.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Make cookies
{title} {title} {title}
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
  • Automotive
  • Entertainment

© 2024 Techweez - Palahala Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites.
A Palahala Media Group Brand. All rights reserved.
.