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Researchers at Check Point have discovered a security vulnerability that affects Android smartphones and makes them vulnerable to hackers. How to defend yourself
Researchers from the Israeli company Check Point discovered a vulnerability in the security of Android smartphones from the most popular manufacturers: Samsung, Huawei, LG and Sony. The flaw is in the over-the-air provisioning system, which is used by network operators to remotely set certain network specifications for a smartphone that joins their network.
Hackers can take advantage of this flaw by disguising themselves as telephone operators and infecting users’ smartphones with a simple text message that installs malware or a virus. In this way, hackers take control of the device and can use the smartphone remotely for their illegal activities. But it is not everything. They can also hijack internet traffic and steal users’ personal data. In order to defend against this particular type of hacker attack, it is necessary to install a security solution that is able to recognize phishing and all its derivatives.
Smartphone makers stepped into action and released security patches that are able to block hacker attacks through OTA provisioning: Samsung devices have been protected since last March, while LG released security patches in July. Huawei devices will also receive security patches in the coming months.
How SMS phishing works
This is a fairly advanced hacking attack that is difficult to counter. Hackers are exploiting an over-the-air provisioning vulnerability, a system used by telephone operators to remotely set certain network specifications when a smartphone joins their infrastructure for the first time. Check Point researchers found that OTA provisioning uses the Open Mobile Alliance Client Provisioning (OMA CP) standard, which uses unsecured authentication systems to function.
Hackers can exploit bugs in OMA CP to impersonate telephone operators, send messages to users asking them to accept changes to the network to make their smartphone perform better, and gain uninterrupted access and ownership of the device. This allows hackers to install viruses or use your smartphone for illegal purposes.
The Check Point researchers determined that Samsung smartphones are the most vulnerable to OMA CP messages, as they do not have a sender authentication feature. However, the South Korean company has already taken action and released a security patch in March that fixes the vulnerability. Huawei, Sony and LG devices use a more advanced authentication system, but they can still be hacked: hackers only need to obtain an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) code for uninterrupted access to the smartphone. IMSI can be obtained by installing a malicious application on a device or by persuading the user to share it via phishing email.
How to defend against a phishing attack
Check Point warned smartphone manufacturers who have meanwhile fixed the defect. As mentioned, Samsung released a security patch in March, LG did so in July, and Huawei will roll out the patch to the upcoming Mate and P series devices. Sony, on the other hand, has not admitted to the vulnerability.
One way to defend against SMS phishing attacks is to install a security solution that can protect your smartphone from malicious OMA CP messages. There are many Android antiviruses available on the Google Play Store, some of them free.
