Multiple security vulnerabilities in Google’s Android SDK can give hackers complete control of phone

Core Security Technologies has published a CoreLabs Advisory, “Multiple vulnerabilities in Google’s Android SDK” which explains:

Several vulnerabilities have been found in Android’s core libraries for processing graphic content in some of the most used image formats (PNG, GIF an BMP). While some of these vulnerabilities stem from the use of outdated and vulnerable open source image processing libraries, otherss were introduced by native Android code that use them or that implement new functionality.

Exploitation of these vulnerabilities to yield complete control of a phone running the Android platform has been proved possible using the emulator included in the SDK, which emulates phone running the Android platform on an ARM microprocessor.

This advisory contains technical descriptions of these security bugs, including a proof of concept exploit to run arbitrary code, proving the possibility of running code on Android stack (over an ARM architecture) via a binary exploit.

Full advisory here.

21 Comments

  1. I agree, This is why companies release Beta editions first. Granted, Google has a long tradition of making things Beta for 2 or more years.

    I expect apple to release a Beta of the SDK today and not release the full version until June.

  2. Does this post mean that Android is an official competitor of the iPhone? A declaration of war by MDN? Are we gearing up to take it on? Is it going to be the iPhone fanboys and fangirls against the Android squad?

  3. This is exactly why I hope Apple keeps an iron fist and lock on the iPhone. We hear so many whiners going on and on about how evil Apple is for bricking hacked iPhones, and how important it is that they be able to run apps on the iPhone, but they only give lip service to security.

    I don’t want my iPhone hacked by loner malcontents who have nothing better to than to harass people through their technology. Please Apple, keep the iPhone safe. Keep it secure and don’t let the nerds worm their way into what is a very good thing!

  4. This is the beauty of Open Source. These things will be fixed asap, ensuring security for the time being, until someone else finds a hole. I have a lot of confidence in Google. They are a very interesting counterpart to Apple. One is very open and collaborative, while the other is tight-lipped and meticulous. Both accomplish their goals quite well.

  5. Google is a very confusing world. if you can trust on it ten you have allowed it to access your everything. I read http://teacherhabits.com/5-effective-techniques-for-improving-student-performance-with-the-help-of-psychology/ article which is best for students to understand such topics. Multiple security vulnerabilities in Google’s Android SDK can give hackers complete control of phone that is not the good news. We trust in google but google doesn’t.

Reader Feedback

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.