Researchers at the Israeli cyber security told a Las Vegas conference that 900 million Android devices worldwide could be fully controlled by hackers.
Protecting mobile phones from cyber attacks is an area marked out by Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP) last year as a major market for its products. The Israeli company even brought a startup that operates in the field.
At a conference in Las Vegas, Check Point's security researchers revealed that they had discovered security flaws in Qualcomm chips in more than 900 million Android devices worldwide. Check Point identified four flaws in the Qualcomm chips installed in the Android devices, which would allow hackers to seize full control (root access) enabling them to download malicious apps and add or wipe out existing apps, GPS and even gain access to hardware including the touchscreen, camera and microphone.
Qualcomm is the world's leading chip manufacturer for cellular phones with a 65% market share for LTE communication chips.
Check Point head of products, mobile and cloud security Michael Shaulov said, "These flaws demonstrate the difficulty in securing Android devices. The complex supply chain creates a situation in which every software correction needs a designated installation for every device and every version. This process might take time and leave users without a solution in the meantime."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 8, 2016
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