Anybody read the major security issue with our phones?

Caloy · Dec 19, 2012

Just read this:

http://phandroid.com/?p=113924

Hope the patch it up soon. =/

-Sent using the power of the dark side

sillyrabbitt123 · Dec 19, 2012

i buy all my apps do not pirate however i did dl and sideload chrome [so i could have multiview] and photo editor which didnt come with my vzw phone [against my better judgement] now i am more worried.

hard reset is the only way to full clear it out? unistall wont be enough?

thanks

topshelf95 · Dec 19, 2012

Caloy said:
Just read this:

http://phandroid.com/?p=113924

Hope the patch it up soon. =/

-Sent using the power of the dark side

There is already an app from the well known developer Chainfire, on xda that you can download for a temporary fix. Install the app, turn it on, problem fixed. It renders the camera unusable on some phones so if you want to take a pic you need to shut the app off before doing so and then remember to turn it back on again after. The inconvenience of doing this however is better than walking around unprotected all the time.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2050297

Also, if you are into custom roms and are willing to flash your phone to have all the latest updates like a lot of us, there is a custom Kernel they have built which you can flash into your phone which closes the security hole without the need of an app and does not effect the camera. This is just one of the many perks of rooting you phone and running custom firmware, not needing to wait for att or Samsung. All the best with whatever you choose!

Corki2 · Dec 19, 2012

I downloaded the Exynos Abuse patch to plug this security issue on my Verizon Note 2. The article says it breaks your camera. I did not break mine. I do have to turn off Exynos Abuse (this is an app that installs when you install the patch) when I want to use hdmi. I just turn it back on when I'm done using hdmi.

The patch roots your phone and installs the patch with a simple apk install. You can also unroot your phone with it.

While I was not planning to root my phone, I decided to use the patch rather than risk my phone getting hacked.

I don't use pirated apps either, but I do download apps from the Play Store.

girolez · Dec 19, 2012

Yes

I've rooted and installed it too, but it has left me with device status "modified" which I can't easily reverse which means ota upgrades won't work. No great issue as it's better to be safe!

Roger

Corki2 · Dec 19, 2012

girolez said:
Yes

I've rooted and installed it too, but it has left me with device status "modified" which I can't easily reverse which means ota upgrades won't work. No great issue as it's better to be safe!

Roger

I thought you could unroot and remove the "modified" status. Can you tell me where I would find this device status on my phone? I don't see anyrhing that says mine is modified, but I think it should.

Deleted User · Dec 19, 2012

Corki2 said:
I thought you could unroot and remove the "modified" status. Can you tell me where I would find this device status on my phone? I don't see anyrhing that says mine is modified, but I think it should.

Settings==> About Phone--> Status then all the way to the bottom where it says Device status.

Corki2 · Dec 19, 2012

JustDriftin said:
Settings==> About Phone--> Status then all the way to the bottom where it says Device status.

Ok. I had looked there and mine didn't say modified. I just swapped batteries and now it does say modified. I guess it was the reboot. Thanks!

roy5000x2 · Dec 20, 2012

You can patch the exploit without having or needing root

Instant fix app for Exynos Mem Abuse vulnerability, no root required, reversible | Project Voodoo

The plus side to this is that you can set the app to run on boot, so you don't need to worry about checking it off every time you start up your phone.

NOTE: I'm using a Verizon Note II, and my front facing camera does not break with this .apk. I cannot say the same for other carrier's phones though.

You can also change the permissions for the Exynos memory file from 660 to 600 on your own, but I'd rather leave that to people who already know how to change permissions. The .apk above is a very simple way to fix the problem.

puchasr · Dec 20, 2012

I'm happy I don't have to worry about it since the Samsung Galaxy SII from T-mobile doesn't have the Exynos 4 processor, but the "1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm APQ8060 (S3) Snapdragon processor" (Wikipedia:Samsung Galaxy S II - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), this link is to the original article in the xda developers website: Dangerous Exynos 4 Security Hole Demoed and Plugged by Chainfire – xda-developers

Anybody read the major security issue with our phones?

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