One of the reasons why Qualcomm chipsets are so widely used is their powerful graphics and their appeal to developers. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have vulnerabilities.
The latest one, discovered by security researcher Keegan Ryan, was pretty concerning, as it allowed cyber-criminals to gather private data and security keys in a safe part of the chipset.
This flaw came into the light last year, and since then, the researcher worked on a white paper on the flaw and concluded that he was able to extract security keys from a rooted Nexus 5X.
The vulnerability was categorized as critical, the highest rating for security flaws; at this level, the device having the chipset can be controlled remotely by strangers.
Thankfully, the manufacturer recognized it and worked on a patch for the over 40 chipsets affected, integrated in laptops and smartwatches, too.
Check out if your phone has one of the chipsets affected: the Snapdragon 200 series, Snapdragon 400 family (bar the Snapdragon 400 itself, it seems), Snapdragon 625, Snapdragon 636, Snapdragon 660, Snapdragon 670, Snapdragon 710/712, Snapdragon 820, Snapdragon 835, and Snapdragon 845. The full list is available at Qualcomm’s product security bulletin.
If so, look for the 2019 April security patch or insist that the company you bought it from knows about it and takes the appropriate measures.
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