The StageFright virus is powerful and faster than you can imagine.
Android phones are quite prevalent in today’s society. In fact, Android phones account for approximate 81% of the 432 million phones sold in the last quarter. All this to say that the popularity of these phones is immense, and that means that they are a popular target for hackers. Today we’re going to be talking about the StageFright bug and what you need to know to stay safe. Let’s take a look.
What is the Stagefright bug?
Stagefright is actually part of the media playback tool that exists within the Android operating system. It is not a piece of malware, but a serious vulnerability within the system that hackers are exploiting. Their exploitation of this flaw can lead to hackers gaining complete control of the phone. This would allow them to steal anything from credit card numbers to passwords and anything else they choose. A team of cybersecurity professionals at NorthBit have put together “Metaphor.” Metaphor allows us to see just how hackers would infiltrate the Stagefright vulnerability and the results are quite harrowing. In fact, the program can hack a phone in as little as 10 seconds.
What can you do to avoid the Stagefright vulnerability?
This security flaw exists primarily in older versions of Android’s operating system, meaning anything before 6.0 Marshmallow. If you stay on top of your system software updates, you should be fine. For those of you who skip out on these updates, you are putting your phone and your online identity at major risk. Many people like to skip or snooze their updates, but the danger is clear. Updates, especially major software ones, are often implemented to strengthen the security of the device. Not only that, but they often help it to run smoother, and everyone can appreciate a faster phone, right?
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