95 percent of Android devices were affected in July-September quarter: Report

According to a report by Trend Micro, the Stagefright vulnerability affected nearly 95 percent of all Android devices. In total, five different vulnerabilities in media processing in Android were attacked this quarter. Stagefright22, which allows attackers to install malware on affected devices by distributing malicious multimedia messaging service (MMS) messages, reportedly put 94.1 percent of Android devices at risk. It was also found that a bug that could render Android phones silent and unable to make calls or send text messages. Reports said more than 50 percent of Android devices were vulnerable to this flaw. Another critical Mediaserver vulnerability which could cause devices to endlessly reboot and allow attackers to remotely run arbitrary code, was also found. At that time, 89 percent of Android devices were susceptible to exploitation. In response to the recent spate of Android vulnerability discoveries, Google finally announced regular security updates for the platform. However, security patches may not be able make their way to all devices without the support of manufacturers and carriers, rendering them vulnerable to exploitation.