Huge Security Hole In Recent Samsung Devices 153
An anonymous reader writes "A huge security hole has been discovered in recent Samsung devices including phones like the Galaxy S2 and S3. It is possible for every user to obtain root due to a custom faulty memory device created by Samsung." The problem affects phones with the Exynos System-on-Chip.
Re:Root (Score:3, Interesting)
"although it would have been nice if he reported it to Samsung a little in advance of the release of the problem"
While that would have been nice, it is very debatable if it is wise. With Samsung, you just don't know. Security holes have been reported to Samsung that have been fixed nigh instantly, while other well known problems that can cause hard-bricks (device becomes a non-recoverable paperweight) on various devices have been known for almost a year - including the fixes - and the issue is still present in the latest firmwares.
And in the exploit author's defense (as if needed), he actually says somewhere he didn't know whom to contact so he just put it on XDA, assuming it would somehow get to the right people. And even though it is weekend, I'm sure various Samsung engineers on the right levels are aware of the problem :) The not knowing who to contact thing is a valid issue - if you don't have any "ins" at Samsung, it's actually pretty hard getting this kind of information to the right people.