Android updates often bring with them security and bug fixes, most of which go unnoticed, or almost unnoticed, but the latest security update released by Google is very important: it consolidates a vulnerability that has already been abused, providing one other justification for updating your devices as soon as you can.
The crack referred to is known as CVE-2024-36971 and, as per Google, is exploitable “only in a limited and targeted way”. In other words, it may have already been exploited by hackers in a limited fashion, and/or with limited consequences at the termination end and/or limited numbers of devices.
The bug is categorised as a high severity Remote Code Execution, which implies that someone can, in fact, execute a code in your piece of gadgetry without you ever finding out. Even if you are almost a hundred percent sure that you have been ensnared by this pitfall, it is high time you upgraded your phone and/or tablet. The weakness was found by bug hunter Clément Lecigne.
Top features in the latest Android smartphones
Fortunately, in Android it updates in the background and Informs the user, when an update needs to be downloaded and installed. It is then most often enough to restart your phone when asked for the update to be applied.
But if you want to manually check as to when the next update will be ready you have that option as well. If you are using a Pixel, go into Settings ”, then System, then Software Updates, then System Update. As to whether there is one to install or not, you should be able to look at what is the newer installed version of it and the version of Android on your phone.
On the Samsung Galaxy, it is almost, if not exactly, the same. In Settings, under Software Updates you will find the latest version installed. You can select Download and install to know if there is any new update and download and install it on the device.
What is important here is that the update we are dealing with is being rolled out gradually, depending on the country to which it relates, manufacturers, and devices. In response to the news, Google said to The Hacker News that it is working with the manufacturers, including Samsung to make the fixes to be delivered as soon as possible.
