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from the don't-bother-calling-me-I-can-already-hear-you dept.
As many as 600 million Samsung phones may be vulnerable to attacks that allow hackers to surreptitiously monitor the camera and microphone, read incoming and outgoing text messages, and install malicious apps, a security researcher said.
The vulnerability is in the update mechanism for a Samsung-customized version of SwiftKey, available on the Samsung Galaxy S6, S5, and several other Galaxy models. When downloading updates, the Samsung devices don't encrypt the executable file, making it possible for attackers in a position to modify upstream traffic—such as those on the same Wi-Fi network—to replace the legitimate file with a malicious payload. The exploit was demonstrated Tuesday at the Blackhat security conference in London by Ryan Welton, a researcher with security firm NowSecure. A video of his exploit is here.
Thus will hackers be treated to front row seats to 600 million pockets full of lint.
Original Submission
(Score: 4, Informative) by kaszz on Friday June 19 2015, @10:11PM
The affected computerphones seems to be: Samsung galaxy S4, S5, S6, S4 Mini
The juicy details can be found here:
* Remote code execution as system user on Samsung phones [nowsecure.com]
* Samsung keyboard security risk disclosed: Over 600M+ devices worldwide impacted [nowsecure.com]
This security flaw makes it possible to:
* Access sensors and resources like GPS, camera and microphone
* Secretly install malicious app(s) without the user knowing
* Tamper with how other apps work or how the phone works
* Eavesdrop on incoming/outgoing messages or voice calls
* Attempt to access sensitive personal data like pictures and text messages
Now to the juicy details in plain English:
Every time the computerphone boots or at an not yet determined interval. It will check for updates to its keyboard module. If such one is found it will download the program code update in the form of a zip file through a http transfer. That file is checked against a checksum (sha1) and only used if it matches. So far it's fine. However that checksum is also downloaded using a http transfer and not checked against anything at all - PW0N3D!. The program code is then installed and used automatically.
Let's repeat it: The computerphone will on boot and at interval download a file that determines which checksums that are okay through an unauthenticated and plaintext protocol (http). Then follow up with another binary code download over unauthenticated and plaintext protocol that is checked against the former download. And install said things if they match eachother. Root certificate anyone?
To top this off, users can't deinstall this keyboard module and carriers don't care (in practice). And of course the bootloader is locked so you can't upgrade the operating system either.
swiftkey.net and Samsung, perhaps you need the book "Thinking for dummies" ..!
Makes you think that banking apps that uses the keyboard.. well nice combo there.
Pro tip for users: Start looking for a free, auditable and modifiable operating system. I think one starts with Re..
(Score: 3, Informative) by kaszz on Friday June 19 2015, @10:16PM
The bug now has its own CERT code CVE-2015-2865 [cert.org]
These kinds of bugs at least has one upside. Backdoor to switch operating system..
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday June 19 2015, @10:36PM
Not a criticism of you, as it's in the source you linked, but "over 600 million+"? And in a glorified big font and banner at the top of the page! Argh!
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 3, Informative) by kaszz on Friday June 19 2015, @11:19PM
Seems only nowsecure.com claims this 600 million number. Neither Ars technica or CERT mentions it.
According to Wikipedia:
S4: 40 million sold in the first 6 months
S4 Mini: no data
S5: 12 million in its first 3 months
S6: 10 million in its first 1 months
However this article [androidauthority.com] says counterpoint [counterpointresearch.com] say Samsung sold 5 million units upto August 2013. Some daring calculations doing an guesstimate put it the number of exploitable phones at 45 million units.
It should however mean that at least 62 million units Samsung Galaxy S4-S6 is out there. Enough to have serious impact. Especially if one could turn those phones into access points for WiFi. But I think we need a source for that 600 million unit figure.