Samsung to use KNOX to fix SwiftKey vulnerability
The other day we told you about a serious vulnerability on Samsung Galaxy handsets that came with SwiftKey pre-installed. Over 600 million phones are believed to be at risk. The bad guys can use this opening to grab your GPS coordinates, access the camera and the microphone, install apps without your permission, intercept messages and calls, and steal locally-stored files.
SwiftKey, for those unaware, is a third-party QWERTY keyboard app. The vulnerability affects only those Samsung handsets that have the app pre-installed. Samsung says that it is going to use its KNOX secure sandbox to fix the problem. By using KNOX as the conduit for a fix, Samsung can prevent having to send out a firmware update that would have to wait for the carriers to test it.
The bottom line is that thanks to KNOX, this vulnerability will be closed in days instead of weeks or months. And that should make Samsung Galaxy owners feel more secure overall.
"Samsung Knox has the capability to update the security policy of the phones, over-the-air, to invalidate any potential vulnerabilities caused by this issue. The security policy updates will begin rolling out in a few days"-Samsung
The bottom line is that thanks to KNOX, this vulnerability will be closed in days instead of weeks or months. And that should make Samsung Galaxy owners feel more secure overall.
source: PocketNow via AndroidGuys
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