A security vulnerability in Samsung smartphones reportedly allowed hackers to get complete control over compromised devices. Samsung is among the most popular smartphone brands globally, alongside the likes of Apple and OnePlus. However, that doesn't mean the company's offerings are immune to security vulnerabilities. The latest case reemphasizes just how much of a problem it can be in modern gadgets and connected devices.

Cybercrime has been on an upswing over the past several years, reaching its highest levels during the pandemic. According to a recent FBI report, 2021 was an incredibly damaging year for cybercrime victims, with people reportedly losing almost $7 billion to online attacks, scams and hacks. Some of the most popular avenues of cybercrime over the past couple of years reportedly include phishing, ransomware, spyware, crypto scams and more.

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A new report released by mobile security firm Kryptowire has detailed a severe security vulnerability in Samsung smartphones. Tracked as CVE-2022-22292, the bug allowed hackers to make phone calls, install and uninstall apps, weaken https security by downloading arbitrary root certificates and wipe all user data by initiating a factory reset. According to the researchers, all of that could have been executed from a single compromised app running in the background. The problem was traced back to the default Phone app and impacted Samsung devices running Android versions 9, 10, 11 and 12. According to the report, the affected devices included several Samsung smartphones, such as the Galaxy S21 Ultra, the Galaxy S10+ and the Galaxy A10e. The researchers also tested the Galaxy S8 running Android 8, but it was not affected by the flaw.

The Vulnerability Has Been Fixed

Samsung Logo And Galaxy Silhouette Night Photography Teaser

Kryptowire reported the CVE-2022-22292 vulnerability to Samsung on Nov. 27, 2021, and the South Korean company rolled out a fix for it on a priority basis in Feb. 2022. As of now, people using any of the devices mentioned above are advised to update their phones with the latest available security patches if they haven't already. In addition, Kryptowire also recommends that users initiate automated mobile security scanning regularly to protect themselves from known security flaws.

According to Alex Lisle, chief technology officer of Kryptowire, mobile apps are increasingly becoming the favorite target of hackers and cybercriminals. This is because they're now often the primary way people access the internet and keep in touch with their loved ones. To stay safe from increasing digital threats affecting mobile devices, Kryptowire advises that developers, enterprises, and end-users should adopt a "proactive security posture" rather than relying on "reactive measure(s)."

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Source: Kryptowire