Trend Micro Inc. has released an update to its mobile security application that enables the software to detect attempts to exploit flaws on several
Samsung Electronics devices.
The update was prompted by the recent discovery of a fault in the Android kernel of some Samsung mobile phones and tablets which allows a virus to gain control of the units.
“It is up to Samsung to patch this threat permanently,” Trend Micro said in its Security Intelligence Blog. “In the meantime, we have released a pattern which detects apps that attempt to exploit this vulnerability. Users whose devices have Trend Micro Mobile Security are encouraged to update their devices with the latest pattern for protection until the vulnerability is fixed.”
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Last Saturday users of the XDA Developers site reported the vulnerability on the online forum. They identified the affected products as: Samsung Galaxy Note; Samsung Galaxy Note 2; Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1; Samsung Galaxy S2; Samsung Galaxy S3; and the Samsung Galaxy Tab Plus.
A post on the online forum from a user called Chainfire said Samsung device user “should be very afraid of this exploit. Any app can use it to gain root without asking and without any permissions on a vulnerable device.”
“As a practical matter, there are no good steps users can take to mitigate this threat,” said Jonathan Leopando, technical communications specialist with Trend Micro. ”Until an official device patch is released, we urge consumers with vulnerable devices to exercise caution when downloading installations.”