Google and Samsung have discovered some security vulnerabilities in Android devices that allow cyberattackers to take over your phone's camera and take photos or videos, even if your device is locked.
On Tuesday, Erez Yalon, Head of Security Research at Checkmarx, disclosed the flaws, which were identified collectively as CVE-2019-2234.
The team began an investigation, which led them to discover that hackers were able to override certain actions and generally use Google Camera without any control.
This included taking photos and recording video, even if the device was locked or the screen was turned off or if the victim was in the middle of a phone call.
Google is strict when it comes to mobile apps that have access to sensitive information, from camera, microphone or location services. As a result, now users must accept licensing requests.
The vulnerability affects all Google phones, including those outside the Pixel product line. Google's belief that the security issue was a minor one later convinced the tech giant that the issue was "high" risk, and by August 1, it confirmed that all of its suppliers were affected.
“We appreciate that Checkmarx worked with Google and Android partners to discover the issue,” Google said. “The issue was addressed on select Google devices via a Play Store to the Google Camera Application in July 2019. A patch has also been made available to all partners.”
On August 29, Samsung, one of the affected suppliers, confirmed that the vulnerability affected the company's phones.
