Tuesday 9 August 2016

QuadRooter: New Android Vulnerabilities Found In Over 900 Million Devices

An Israeli security firm - Check Point recently discovered a set of four vulnerabilities affecting over 900 million Android smartphones and tablets powered by Qualcomm chipsets. The Check Point mobile threat research team, calls the set of vulnerabilities QuadRooter.

What is QuadRooter?
According to Check Point, "QuadRooter is a set of four vulnerabilities affecting Android devices built using Qualcomm chipsets".
Qualcomm is the world’s leading maker of LTE chipsets, responsible for 65% of the LTE modem baseband market. If any one of the four vulnerabilities is exploited, the attacker can gain root access to the device.

What Android devices are Affected?
Some of the latest and most popular Android devices are vulnerable to this exploit.
Some of them include:

  • BlackBerry Priv(Touted as one of the most secure Android devices)
  • Blackphone 1 and Blackphone 2(both privacy focused devices)
  • The New Moto X by Motorola
  • Google Nexus 5X, Nexus 6 and Nexus 6P
  • Samsung Galaxy S7 and Samsung S7 Edge
  • HTC One, HTC M9 and HTC 10
  • LG G4, LG G5, and LG V10
  • Sony Xperia Z Ultra
  • OnePlus One, OnePlus 2 and OnePlus 3

An attacker can exploit these vulnerabilities using a malicious app. The app would require no special/suspicious permissions to take advantage of these vulnerabilities, preventing any suspicion users may have when installing.

How To Check If Your Phone Is Vulnerable To QuadRooter?
Check point has created an android app that allows you to check if your device is vulnerable to QuadRooter.
You can install the app from Google’s playstore here.

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