September’s Android Security Update is Rolling Out With First Nougat Patch

The tweet mentions that the tablet is likely to be a 7-inch device and will pack 4GB of RAM.

Google could have fixed the bug with what Strazzere described as a “two-line fix”. Other apps using the same library are also vulnerable.

Google published monthly security updates for Android for about a year which manufacturers get in advance to push out to their devices after integrating and testing the patches. This library is used in Gmail and Gchat and Strazzere could successfully attack unpatched devices running this software. Earlier in the month of August, the IDC cited a drastic fall in the sale of tablets by 38.7 million total shipments compared to 44.1 million in the second quarter of 2015, i.e. about 12.3 percent drop in sales.

As a matter of interest if you aren’t sure whether your handset is vulnerable you can use Check Point’s QuadRooter Scanner to find out if your handset needs the patch.

“An elevation-of-privilege vulnerability in the kernel shared memory subsystem could enable a local malicious application to execute arbitrary code within the context of the kernel”. Android Police also notes that the Nougat update has been causing performance and battery life issues for some Nexus 6P units, which could explain the delay.

Nevertheless, you can still enjoy some of its best new features today without having to suffer bugs in the developer preview or wait months for the stable release to come to your phone. One of the most significant differences that users will see with the new Android version is their access to the phone app, alarm and messaging apps even before they type their PIN, password or pattern.

A hacker could potentially exploit Quadrooter to gain full control of any device that was susceptible and patching these vulnerabilities should have been a top priority for Google.

The update patches seven vulnerabilities that have been flagged as “critical” by Google, and 23 vulnerabilities that fall on the spectrum of “high” severity. Visual performance was also relevant in the development of Nougat, so the 3D graphic experiences were considerably improved, this time, a valuable feature especially for those who try high-quality graphic games or videos in their mobile devices.