HT TECH wants to start sending you push notifications. Click allow to subscribe

This Android security bug let malicious apps siphon off private user data

Any malicious app on an Android device could have exploited this bug to inject malicious modules into other apps that rely on Google’s Play core.

By: HT TECH
Updated on: Aug 20 2022, 22:40 IST
A Google spokesperson said that appreciate that the researcher reporting this issue to them and the vulnerability was fixed in March this year. (Pixabay)
A Google spokesperson said that appreciate that the researcher reporting this issue to them and the vulnerability was fixed in March this year. (Pixabay)

A security vulnerability was discovered in Android that could have allowed malicious apps to siphon off sensitive data from other apps on the device.

App security startup Oversecured found the vulnerability in Google’s widely used Play Core library. Play Core lats developers push in-app updates and new feature modules to the Android apps like language packs or game levels, reports TechCrunch.

You may be interested in

Mobiles Tablets Laptops
2% OFF
Google Pixel 7 5G
  • Obsidian
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹58,990₹59,999
Buy now
2% OFF
Google Pixel 128GB
  • Black
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹58,990₹59,999
Buy now
48% OFF
Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus
  • Green
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹44,890₹85,999
Buy now
5% OFF
Google Pixel 6
  • Stormy Black
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹41,990₹43,999
Buy now
21% OFF
Acer Swift Go SFG14 41 NX KG3SI 002 Laptop
  • Pure Silver
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
₹58,990₹74,999
Buy now
41% OFF
Acer Aspire 5 A515 57G Laptop
  • Gray
  • 16 GB RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
₹52,990₹89,999
Buy now
41% OFF
Acer Aspire 3 A315 24 NX KDESI 004 Laptop
  • Silver
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
₹34,490₹57,999
Buy now
40% OFF
Asus VivoBook 15 X515JA BQ322WS Laptop
  • Transparent Silver
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
₹31,350₹51,990
Buy now
35% OFF
Xiaomi Pad 6
  • Mist Blue
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹25,999₹39,999
Buy now
55% OFF
Lenovo Tab M10 5G
  • Abyss Blue
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹20,999₹47,000
Buy now
32% OFF
Realme Pad 2
  • Imagination Grey
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹19,668₹28,999
Buy now
Honor Pad X9
  • Gray
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹16,998
Check details

Any malicious app on an Android device could have exploited this bug to inject malicious modules into other apps that rely on Google’s Play core. This would have helped the malicious apps steal private information like passwords, credit card numbers etc from the apps.

Founder of Oversecured Serget Toshin told TechCrunch that exploiting this Android bug was “pretty easy”.

Oversecured built a proof-of-concept app using a few lines of code and tested the vulnerability on Google Chrome for Android which relied on a vulnerable version of the Play Core library. Toshin told TechCrunch that the proof-of-concept app was able to steal a victim’s browsing history, passwords and login cookies.

Toshin added that the bug also affected some of the most popular apps on the Android app store.

Google has confirmed this bug has now been fixed. The bug was rated it 8.8 out of 10.0 for severity. A Google spokesperson said that appreciate that the researcher reporting this issue to them and the vulnerability was fixed in March this year.

To make sure your apps are free from this issue, all users need to update their apps with the latest Play Core library.

Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on ,Twitter, Facebook, , and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

First Published Date: 29 Aug, 18:20 IST
Tags:

Sale

Mobiles Tablets Laptops
6% OFF
Google Pixel 7 5G
  • Obsidian
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹41,499₹43,999
Buy now
6% OFF
Google Pixel 7A
  • Charcoal
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹41,499₹43,999
Buy now
55% OFF
Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus
  • Green
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹38,500₹85,999
Buy now
10% OFF
OnePlus 11R
  • Sonic Black
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹35,999₹39,999
Buy now
35% OFF
Xiaomi Pad 6
  • Mist Blue
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹25,925₹39,999
Buy now
38% OFF
Lenovo Tab M10 5G
  • Abyss Blue
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹20,999₹34,000
Buy now
50% OFF
Realme Pad 2
  • Imagination Grey
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹12,999₹25,999
Buy now
57% OFF
Honor Pad X8
  • Blue Hour
  • 3 GB RAM
  • 32 GB Storage
₹8,999₹20,999
Buy now
29% OFF
Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301RE LI201WS Laptop
  • Off Black
  • 32 GB RAM
  • 1 TB SSD
₹89,789₹125,989
Buy now
39% OFF
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401QH HZ076TS Laptop
  • Black
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 1 TB SSD
₹94,990₹155,990
Buy now
31% OFF
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401QC HZ094TS Laptop
  • Grey
  • 16 GB RAM
  • 1 TB SSD
₹94,999₹137,990
Buy now
27% OFF
Asus TUF Gaming F15 FX506HC HN089WS Laptop
  • Graphite Black
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
₹60,990₹82,990
Buy now
NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS