A new annoying bug was found invading Android devices currently running an Android 4.3 or higher operating system. This new bug, which can only enter your Android device by downloading a malicious file, will completely disable your audio. However, it seems that this bug can easily be deleted from your smartphone though nonetheless, it will certainly cause some annoyance through the day. Here’s what you need to know about the bug and how to avoid it. Here’s a hint, don’t download any files that are not from a trusted source!
Alerted through Google by Trend-Micro, the bug can only get into your Android device by means of a malicious application download or by a malformed MKV file. Only affecting smartphones running an Android operating system of 4.3 or higher, the bug will be able to cease all audio within your smartphone or tablet. This is done through a buffer overflow in the mediaserver service which is the way Android indexes its media files. However, in more extreme cases, this bug could leave your smartphone and tablet unresponsive because of the amount of RAM it takes to operate. If you unfortunately get caught with this bug, then you’ll find that the handset will have no ringtone or notification sounds, nor will either party hear each other during a call.
According to Google, the bug is marked as “low-priority” as the fix is rather simple and only involves a reboot to the affected device. Apparently, if your handset has the bug, the solution is to reboot the device then locate the malicious file and delete it. With that said, the very best way to make sure your device doesn’t get affected by this bug and other bugs that could cause harm to your smartphone and tablet is to not download any files from any non-trusted sources. By default, your smartphone and tablet already has a security feature to prevent consumers from downloading and installing applications from third party sources, or otherwise deemed as untrustworthy sources. Consumers however, have the ability to switch that option off to download any files they please from the internet. By doing so, this option will leave your device vulnerable to malicious files.