Older Samsung smartphones may have their data stolen

Samsung smartphones launched from 2014 to 2015 may have stolen the data of calls, contacts or messages, if not updated the software.

Mateusz Jurczyk, a member of the Google Project Zero security research group, has uncovered a critical security flaw in many Samsung Android smartphones. Although the product was launched in 2014, it could still be stolen personal information or controlled by bad guys.

The bad guy exploits a flaw on a Samsung smartphone from an image file called Samsung Qmage (QMG). It creates a path for hackers to overwrite information on memory and creates a line of remote controls. The victim is attacked after receiving an MMS multimedia message containing a malicious file.

This attack is dangerous because it works silently. Even if an MMS message is sent, the device does not appear a notification.

Glaaxy S6 - one of the Samsung smartphones that is affected and needs a software update. Photo: Securityintelligence

According to Mateusz Jurczyk's test, a successful attack needs to send 50 to 300 MMS messages and take about 100 minutes. The number of Samsung smartphones affected by the security vulnerability could reach millions. Notable models are the first generation Galaxy A models, or Galaxy S6, Galaxy Note 4.

Samsung recently launched a software update for the entire device. This patch is marked by a serious label with the code SVE-2020-16747. Old devices after the update will not be affected.