Bluebox Security revealed today that a vulnerability in any version of the Android operating system after 1.6 could leave devices open to being hacked. Google were apparently made aware of the weakness in February by Bluebox.
Bluebox stated that the Samsung Galaxy S4 is the only device not vulnerable to the flaw, suggesting that a patch may have been installed to correct the weakness.
Taking advantage of the flaw in the Android security system would allows hackers to gain personal information from a device. It would also be possible to take remote control of it sending arbitrary text messages, making phone calls or even activate the camera. Exploiting these weaknesses could allow hackers to create a botnet from these hacked ‘zombie’ devices.
Google has since notified firms who produce devices which use the Android system to allow them to develop their own firmware updates to respond to the weakness. Google themselves are working on an update for their nexus line to circumvent the problem.