While Samsung used to have a bad reputation in the past for not regularly pushing out updates to its handsets, but this all changed when the company announced that it would be consistently updating the software of its devices ever since the Samsung Galaxy S6 was released. Since then, the company has been regularly pushing out software updates to its flagship devices on a monthly basis, which usually come in the form of security patches. These Android security patches are designed to improve security on smartphones which run on Android. All changes take place under the hood and usually consist of vulnerability patches, meaning that these updates should be a priority for any Android smartphone user. Well, it is now December and Samsung has revealed details regarding the security patch for the month in a posting on its website.
December 2016’s patch includes fixes from Google itself for the Android operating system, along with those discovered by Samsung. Samsung has identified 15 Samsung Vulnerabilities and Exposures which have now been patched by the company in a bid to improve the security and safety of its devices. Some of the vulnerabilities fixed by Samsung includes a bug activated the mobile hotspot without the need for user interaction, and the password of the hotspot would be exposed in the log, which the company has now removed. Another vulnerability which has been fixed is the notification display error of shade locked state. This bug displayed notifications which were meant to be hidden on the lock screen, thus revealing private information on the lock screen itself. Other vulnerabilities which have been patched include a Boot Receiver issue and various other issues, and if you would like to know more about the vulnerabilities which have been patched in the December security update, you may click on the source link below.
As it is already December, Samsung should be rolling out the security update for the month to all eligible devices in the coming weeks. So, if you own a flagship Samsung device, do keep an eye out for an over-the-air update notification and install the update as soon as possible once receiving it, to continue using your device in a secure environment.