Google closes critical security vulnerabilities affecting four Android versions.

The German Press Agency (DPA) reported that Google has patched two security vulnerabilities affecting Android versions 13 through 16, confirming that these vulnerabilities had previously been exploited in a number of cyberattacks.

According to the same source, these vulnerabilities allowed hackers to remotely control or completely disable infected devices, making them serious security flaws.

Google immediately released security updates to protect users from the effects of these vulnerabilities by completely patching them. These updates were released in early December.

The release time for the security update may vary for phones manufactured by companies other than Google, even though Google notified these companies of the vulnerability a month before publicly announcing it.

The company urged its users to ensure their phones are updated to the latest version of the operating system and to install the latest security updates to address these vulnerabilities, confirming that it has already rolled out the updates to its Pixel devices.

Users can check for security updates by going to the System Updates section in Settings. Google recommends using Wi-Fi to install the update due to its large size, and ensuring the phone is charged to at least 75% or plugged directly into a charger.

A separate report published by the security firm Malwarebytes indicates that this update is part of Google's plan to address security vulnerabilities as soon as they are discovered. The company patched 107 vulnerabilities of varying severity in this update.

These vulnerabilities exploited different layers of the Android framework, allowing hackers to access sensitive information within the system without user consent.

Source: German + Websites