Skip to main content
The homepageVoxVox logo
The homepageVoxVox logo

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

New Stagefright Attack Targets Android Phones With Phony Audio Files

The bug that wouldn’t die.

by Russell Brandom
The Verge

Stagefright is quickly becoming the bug that wouldn’t die. First discovered in July, the vulnerability allowed attackers to target Android phones over text or MMS, exploiting a weakness in Android’s multimedia preview function.

Google, manufacturers and carriers scrambled to patch the bug, only to have another bug pop up two weeks later, requiring another round of patches. Now, three months after the initial disclosure, it’s all happening again.

Zimperium security a new way to exploit Stagefright that isn’t covered by existing patches, first reported by Motherboard. The new vulnerability works by encoding a malicious program into an audio file, delivered over mp3 or mp4. Once a user previews the file or visits a page where that file is embedded, Android’s audio preview will activate the program, infecting the device.

Read the rest of this post on the original site »

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

See More:

Most Popular

  1. Donald Trump messed with the wrong pope
  2. Take a mental break with the newest Vox crossword
  3. The alcohol crisis quietly hitting high-stress, “high-status” workers
  4. The Supreme Court could legalize moonshine, and ruin everything else
  5. What trainers actually think about the 12-3-30 workout

More in Technology

Technology
The case for AI realismThe case for AI realism
Technology

AI isn’t going to be the end of the world — no matter what this documentary sometimes argues.

By Shayna Korol
Politics
OpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agendaOpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agenda
Politics

The AI company released a set of highly progressive policy ideas. There’s just one small problem.

By Eric Levitz
Future Perfect
Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.
Future Perfect

Protecting astronauts in space — and maybe even Mars — will help transform health on Earth.

By Shayna Korol
Podcasts
The importance of space toilets, explainedThe importance of space toilets, explained
Podcast
Podcasts

Houston, we have a plumbing problem.

By Peter Balonon-Rosen and Sean Rameswaram
Technology
What happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputerWhat happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputer
Technology

How they’re using AI at the lab that created the atom bomb.

By Joshua Keating
Future Perfect
Humanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious missionHumanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious mission
Future Perfect

Space barons like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk don’t seem religious. But their quest to colonize outer space is.

By Sigal Samuel