Samsung (
005930) says it’s working hard to patch
a security flaw in its Galaxy phones that could let people completely bypass the devices’ lock screens. A company spokesperson
tells AllThingsD that Samsung is “aware of this issue and will release a fix at the earliest possibility” without providing any details about when a patch might be released. The security flaw,
exposed by blogger Terence Eden on Wednesday, is a fairly involved process that requires hackers to repeatedly dial non-existent numbers into
Galaxy devices’ emergency calling screen. Doing this briefly opens up the device’s home screen for less than a second, which gives quick-fingered users the ability to activate voice commands and download lock screen bypassing applications from Google Play. Exploiting this flaw requires a good deal of patience and it’s unlikely to be used by all but the most determined hackers, but it’s nice to see that
Samsung is already on top of it. A video explaining the security flaw is posted below.
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