Android has an extremely important new alert announced today for users worldwide, targeting hundreds of millions of phones running versions 8 and 9 of the operating system. More precisely, it seems that the NFC Beaming function in Android allows hackers to compromise phones that are in their range through a system process called Android Beam, the problem being an extremely serious one.
Through this function, Android has implemented the possibility of sharing photos, video clips, or even applications, all through NFC, but unfortunately it seems that there is a vulnerability that allows the exploitation of the operating system. More precisely, a hacker can send an application to a victim's phone, and the victim receives a notification regarding the completion of his transfer, but when he accesses it, he is no longer warned that he is installing an application from an unknown source.
Android: ATTENTION, HACK AFFECTING HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE
Android displays this alert in the case of applications from unknown sources to warn users that they are putting their phones at risk, but this hack prevents it from being displayed, so that users "jail" their phones themselves. All this problem exists because Android in versions 8 and 9 has the Android Beam service designed in such a way as to install any applications without warning, being considered a safe service.
"Google last month planted an Android bug that can allow hackers to spread malware to a nearby phone via a little-known Android operating system feature called NFC beaming."
Android can be exploited by hackers to trick people into installing apps from unknown sources, so their phones are automatically jailbroken when they agree to install those apps. The problem exists in versions 8 and 9 of Android due to a change to the system meant to protect people from problems of this kind, but the Google company released a patch meant to solve the problem, only in October 2019.
Android is not automatically updated by everyone with these patches, they have to be released by each manufacturer separately, so it will take time until the hundreds of millions of vulnerable people are protected.
