While Google still hasn’t officially released the crucial security patch (aside from the one for Nexus devices) that would protect Android devices from the so-called Stagefright malware, there have been several posts and advice on how to at least try and protect your smartphone from being infected. Lookout, which previously posted a blog on how to disable MMS auto-fetch is now offering a free app that would tell you if your gadget is vulnerable or already affected and then give you advice on what to do.
The Stagefright Detector app is not a security patch. They make that clear in their website and in the app as well. What it does is to give you enough information to protect your device, although it’s still not a guarantee that you will not be infected. It will just “mitigate your risk of being attacked”. After downloading and installing it, it will then detect if your media player is vulnerable to Stagefright. If you’ve already been patched (and didn’t know it), the app will tell you as well.
But in case it does tell you that you are vulnerable, it will then give you detailed instructions on the best thing that you can do while waiting for the patch: disable the auto-fetch feature of your MMS. If you don’t feel like getting the app, you can still disable that feature on your own by reading up on their extensive blog post about it.
Stagefright Detector can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store. But then afterwards, we still have to wait for Google to finally send the security patch to OEMs, carriers, and partners who will then send the update to users.
SOURCE: Lookout
