Google scientists have said that they have discovered a vulnerability that put a number of smartphones from Xiaomi, Samsung, Oppo, LG, Huawei, Motorola and even their own Google Pixel devices at security risk.
According to a report published by ZDNet, this vulnerability lies in the kernel code of the Android operating system.
If hackers exploit this flaw, then they can easily gain root access to these phones and might misuse it. Reports suggest that the vulnerability is dangerous as it could’ve been and can only be exploited after ‘user interaction’.
Google has already confirmed the report.
A spokesperson for Google’s Android team said it was a ‘high severity’ issue. Besides, he added that a patch is now available on the Android Common Kernel to fix this.
The spokesperson further added that Android partners have been informed about the issue. “Pixel 1 and 2 devices will be receiving updates for this issue as part of the October update,” he said while adding that Pixel 3 and 3A devices are not affected by this bug.
Here is a list of phones that might be at risk at the moment – Google Pixel 1, Google Pixel 1 XL, Google Pixel 2, Google Pixel 2 XL, Huawei P20, Xiaomi Redmi 5A, Xiaomi Redmi Note 5, Xiaomi A1, Oppo A3, Moto Z3, Android Oreo based LG phones, Samsung Galaxy S7, Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S9.
Users of these models have been advised to download and update their phones with the latest October security patch. Once successfully installed, these phones won’t have the security flaw.