Check Point Research has recently revealed that millions of phones with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors throughout the world could be vulnerable to security attacks. This is due to security flaws within the Hexagon digital signal processor (DSP) which is one of many important parts within a Snapdragon processor.
According to Check Point, more than 400 pieces of code for the DSP were found to be vulnerable and could allow attackers to gain data from users’ phone without requiring any action from the users themselves. Additionally, the attackers can also make the phone unresponsive by denying users from being able to access their photos, videos, contacts details, and other data within the device.
Not only that, Check Point has also noted that attackers may be able to implement malware and other types of malicious applications due to these vulnerabilities. However, the company didn’t reveal the full technical details behind these flaws but has since shared their research with Qualcomm who has subsequently issued several patches to fix these security flaws.
However, it is still up to manufacturers to roll out these security patches to their customers and that could take some time given the massive reach of Snapdragon chips as well as differences between one phone to another. Nevertheless, if you happen to own a Snapdragon-based phone, do keep a look for security updates from its manufacturer.
