Google is releasing an important security bulletin for Android. More than forty vulnerabilities are addressed, three of which have been identified as being used for malicious purposes.
Now is the time to check if you have the very latest version of the Android operating system, the one with the most recent security patches. Indeed, Google reported that three vulnerabilities patched with the July patch are likely to “ be subject to limited and targeted exploitation by malicious people.
Two very serious flaws
The first two breaches are linked to components supplied by ARM, a British company specializing in processor architecture. The third finds its source in the very system of Android 13. In all, the security bulletin shared by Google lists more than forty incidents affecting various portions of the operating system.
There is a rule for evaluating the degree of dangerousness of flaws, which produces a score out of ten. The higher the score, the more serious the breach. The first affecting ARM components is only rated 3.3/10. It is of moderate concern. The other two, on the other hand, are very threatening, with a respective score of 8.8/10 and 9.6/10.
The first involves a memory leak in the kernel driver of certain GPUs, which allows an unprivileged user to perform special processing that discloses sensitive kernel metadata. For the second, it is a disclosure of information or an elevation of user privileges. As for the last, it offered the possibility for a remote attacker to leave the secure perimeter of Google Chrome and carry out harmful actions.
The various software vulnerabilities that Google addresses with this bulletin cover the latest versions of the operating system, from 11 to 13. In any case, it is these last three branches that benefit from Google’s patches. Older versions of Android can potentially be exposed and left unpatched: it’s a good idea to migrate to a newer version of Android if possible – which may mean a phone change if yours is dated.
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