Just recently, new Android vulnerabilities took the spotlight in the form of Spectre and Meltdown. These vulnerabilities were found in the process which most modern processors use to optimize the performance of their devices. Not a lot of manufacturers have reacted to these new vulnerabilities yet, but Essential – makers of the Essential Phone – are right up there with the first ones to react to this.
If you know the much-hyped Essential Phone – apart from the sad way that the company had to cut the pricing of the device multiple times, because the hype didn’t exactly translate to sales – you will remember that the phone features software that is very close to AOSP, or stock Android. This is way it is very easy for the company to roll out updates with the speed that other manufacturers just can’t match.
We're rolling out a software update (build NMJ88C) with the January security patches and fixes for the Spectre and Meltdown security flaws.
— Essential (@essential) January 5, 2018
So an update is now rolling out to the Essential Phone, and it contains the most recent Android Security Bulletin (January 2018) and fixes for the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities. This includes fixes for the two variants of Spectre – the Javascript exploit and the “hypervisor” concern – and the single variant of the Meltdown vulnerability.
The update should be rolling out as of time of writing, and should cover most of the Essential Phone units out there. If you are and Essential Phone user, make sure you get to a WiFi connection before you run the update.
VIA: @Essential
