Millions of Samsung users urged to check their phone as serious security problem revealed

If you are one of the millions of Samsung Galaxy users out there, a warning has been issued that running an old version of the Galaxy App store could leave you vulnerable to hackers.

Experts have recently announced that there is a vulnerability in the app that cyber thieves could take advantage of to install software onto users' phones without their knowledge and so are urging everyone to ensure they have the latest update.

Stealing personal data

The main threat comes from hackers using the installed software to then steal personal information from users’ devices, including usernames and passwords. The vulnerability was detected by a team at NCC Group last year who then informed Samsung.

Samsung has now announced that it is imperative that users check and update their Galaxy App store in order to fix the glitch. The NCC Group described the vulnerability, as per The Mirror:

The Galaxy App Store is an alternative application store that comes pre-installed on Samsung Android devices.

It was found that the Galaxy App Store has an exported activity which does not handle incoming intents in a safe manner. This allows other applications installed on the same Samsung device to automatically install any application available on the Galaxy App Store without the user’s knowledge.

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How to update the software?

Samsung recommends keeping your phone updated and regularly releases software updates. Following these steps will give your phone the latest security and features.

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap Software update
3. Then tap on Download and install
4. If new software is available, you can choose Install now, Schedule install or Later. If you already have software that is up to date, you will be notified that 'Your software is up to date'.

The glitch issue affects all phones running Android 12 and older. It appears that Android 13 phones onwards are not affected, however it is still a good idea to install the updates as it will also fix another problem that allowed hackers to add malicious hyperlinks.

The NCC Group explained which version is necessary now and the steps you should follow to be safe, as per The Mirror:

For Samsung devices running Android 12 or lower, Samsung has released an updated version of the Galaxy App Store (version 4.5.49.8). Users should open the Galaxy App Store on their phone, and if prompted, download and install the latest version.

Sources used:

- The Mirror 'Samsung Galaxy owners told to check their Android phone NOW in urgent hacker warning'