Report: Millions of Snapdragon phones are prone to spying, malware, and bricking!

Check Point security researchers revealed that they have discovered more than 400 code vulnerabilities named "Achilles" in the digital signal processors (DSPs) of Qualcomm Snapdragon chips.

File photo: A Snapdragon-powered flagship

Qualcomm security risks

The report claimed that attackers can quietly record calls, steal data, render the device unusable, and even install and silent and non-removable malware.

Currently, the team is keeping the details a secret to prevent malicious use of the vulnerability before there's a fix.

The researchers used a fuzz testing tech and other methods to identify the flaws. To fix this, Qualcomm had to address the issues first. Phone vendors themselves cannot fix it.

Qualcomm acknowledged the flaws and shared the details with brands while it provides "appropriate mitigations" to brands.

In 2019 alone, it was estimated that 40 percent of the phones shipped are powered by Snapdragon chips.

Check Point research head Yaniv Balmas said fixing them all could be difficult or impossible. Having said that, "hundreds of millions" of phones are exposed.

Thankfully, there is no evidence of active exploits yet and users could minimize their risk by getting patches when available and downloading from "trusted" sources like Google Play.

But still, let's all be careful.

Source: Check Point, Via: Android Authority