Worried that your Android device is vulnerable to Stagefright? The company who discovered the flaw, Zimperium, recently released an app to help you check.
Available on the Play Store, the app is named Stagefright Dector. Just install it, and tap on “begin analysis”, and the app will run some checks and tell if your device is vulnerable. Sadly though, if your phone or tablet is vulnerable, there’s nothing you can do about it but be safe and don’t simply open any MMS you receive.
I ran the app on my Sony Xperia Z3 and as expected, it is vulnerable. There’s no solution to help you solve the problem, and the app will redirect you to contact Zimperium. Fortunately, companies are aware of the problem, and are working on fixes. Yesterday, both Google and Samsung announced that they will be releasing monthly security patches. Google also released a fix for Stagefright for its Nexus devices, while Samsung has released an app that allows users to disable MMS on their devices.
So, what can we do right now? According to Zimperium, disable your phone from auto downloading your MMS – this is applicable for regular messaging app and Hangouts. For Google Hangouts, simply tap on Options on the top left corner, open Settings, tap on SMS and in General, if you have Hangout SMS enabled, then go into advanced settings and uncheck “Auto Retrieve MMS”.
Check out Zimperium in the source links below for more information.
(Source: Zimperium 1, 2 via: Engadget)
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