Qualcomm chip flaw puts millions of Android phones at risk

Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip used in Android smartphones might have put more than 3 billion users at risk across the globe. Security researchers at CheckPoint have discovered over 400 vulnerabilities in Qualcomm's Digital Signal Processor (DSP) chips.

Qualcomm chips are used in more than 40% of the smartphone market and are found in phones from different price ranges. These smartphones include premium brand phones like Google, Samsung, LG, Xiaomi and more. If it is misused, hackers can turn any smartphone into a spying tool without the user's interface. Hackers can access data including photos, videos, call recordings, real-time microphone data, GPS and location data.

Hackers can push a denial-of-service attack which would freeze the phone, and they can inject malware and malicious code on the Android phones that will not only hide their activities but even make them unresolvable.

CheckPoint hasn't disclosed the technical details of how these vulnerabilities can be exploited.

CheckPoint said, "We have also updated relevant government officials, and relevant mobile vendors we have collaborated with on this research to assist them in making their handsets safer."

CheckPoint informed Qualcomm, and the firm has patched six security flaws discovered. But for the complete safety of Android users, mobile phone vendors need to roll out the security fixes to their smartphones.

Qualcomm told Bleeping Computer, in a statement, "Regarding the Qualcomm Compute DSP vulnerability disclosed by Check Point, we worked diligently to validate the issue and make appropriate mitigations available to OEMs. We have no evidence it is currently being exploited. We encourage end-users to update their devices as patches become available and to only install applications from trusted locations such as the Google Play Store,"

Qualcomm chip security vulnerability only affects Android smartphones. As Apple uses in-house chips, iPhones are safe.

What Consumers Can Do

In the meantime, consumers should be cautious and download only from official app stores. As patches become available, Android owners should also update their phone regularly.