We can all agree that Android isn’t exactly the most secure mobile platform in the world today but we recognize the efforts of Google and the Android development team to work on changes and improvements. Every new Android version gets more secure than ever. But when it comes to the mobile industry, progress and development vary because there are numerous OEMs that use the mobile OS. As technology improves, it is certain that some problems will arise. Such is the case with 5G technology.
The era of 5G has begun. Compared to a couple of years ago when there are only a handful of 5G phones available, there are now dozens of devices that support the ultra fast mobile Internet. Thanks to Qualcomm for being at the forefront of this as the company comes up with newer, better, faster, and even more affordable 5G chipsets.
Apparently though, there is some issue with the 5G modem used by Qualcomm as per Check Point Research. The firm said Android could exploit a technology used within Qualcomm’s 5G modem, specifically, the Mobile Station Modem. There is some sort of vulnerability that that could affect Android 5G phones.
As described, an attacker can send an SMS to a phone to control the device. It is also possible to have access to phone’s call history and read messages. The flaw could also unlock the SIM of a device.
Check Point Research discovered the vulnerability last year and has already contacted Qualcomm. The latter is believed to be in the process of solving the problem and informing the phone makers about it. As for the Android platform, it’s not clear if Google (Android team) has looked into the vulnerability or if a fix will be released so let’s wait and see.
