Samsung will now release monthly security patches

“Security has always been a major focus for Android and Google Play: Android was built from day one with security in mind”, said Google. In their blog releasing information about Stagefright, the Zimperium researchers explained that “These issues in Stagefright code critically expose 95 per cent of Android devices, an estimated 950 million devices”. In Samsung’s case, the shift has kicked off an aggressive new security policy that will deploy patches month by month, an example that’s expected to inspire other manufacturers to follow suit.

The first monthly patch for Nexus devices is rolling out today, although as usual it may take some time to get to your device due to Google’s staged rollout system.

OpenSignal, which releases an annual Android Fragmentation Report, said this week that there are almost 1,300 manufacturers of Android devices – and at least 24,000 distinct devices. More than 90 percent of Android phones have a security measure known as address space layout randomization, which is designed to significantly lessen the damage attackers can do when exploiting vulnerabilities.

Samsung has announced in an official statement that the company will begin issuing monthly security patches for its devices. This is pretty good news especially when you consider that one of the things Android OEMs are notorious for is dragging their feet when it comes to updates. For the rest of us who aren’t part-time programmers or smartphone wizards, we’ll have to wait until our carriers push the patch to our Android gear.

Samsung has said that it will do the same for its Galaxy handsets.

Security updates, Google believes, should be delivered in a timely manner and that carriers shouldn’t be blocking or delaying their delivery by all means.

Samsung will also be issuing monthly security updates to their devices, although the company hasn’t released details of what this update program will entail. (A Moto X from Verizon is slightly different than a Moto X from T-Mobile, and so forth.) As such, wireless carriers can often give and withhold updates as they see fit.