Samsung has already released the June 2021 Android security patch for more than a dozen Galaxy smartphones. As always, the company had begun the rollout even before we entered the current month. It has now detailed the contents of the new security maintenance release (SMR).
According to the newly updated security bulletin, the latest SMR contains fixes for nearly four dozen security vulnerabilities found on Google’s Android OS. Two of those vulnerabilities were Critical while 27 others were high-risk issues. Google has also patched five moderate-risk vulnerabilities with the June update.
On top of that, Samsung has further fixed 19 Samsung Vulnerabilities and Exposures (SVE) items with this month’s update. SVEs are security issues that only affect the Korean firm’s Galaxy devices. Among the SVE items patched is a high-risk issue in CallBGProvider that allowed local attackers to bypass authorization and access arbitrary files.
Another high-risk vulnerability allowed attackers to “execute protected activity with system privilege” via untrusted apps. It was caused by an improper access control vulnerability in genericssoservice. Samsung has also patched an issue where a possible buffer overflow vulnerability in the NPU (neural processing unit) driver allowed arbitrary memory write and code execution.
Other SVE items patched include unauthorized access to the notifications settings, possible remapping of RKP (real-time kernel protection) memory, improper address validation vulnerability in RKP API, improper authorization in SDP SDK, and many more. Some of the issues were exclusive to devices running on Samsung’s Exynos 9610, Exynos 9810, Exynos 9820, and Exynos 9830 chipsets. You can find details about all the security vulnerabilities patched with the June update here.
Samsung fixed over five dozen vulnerabilities with June 2021 security patch
Samsung has made a habit of rolling out the latest Android security patch to its devices much before the new month has started. The company has done so without fail for several months now, putting other OEMs to shame. The same happened this month as well. The Galaxy S21 series started picking up the June security update on May 27th. It opened the floodgates as Samsung went on to release the new patch for dozen other smartphone models soon.
However, all this while, it was unclear what security vulnerabilities the company fixed with the new update. It turns out there were many – 66, to be specific. Some of those were critical issues. No wonder Samsung accelerated the rollout in recent days. Expect the company to push the June 2021 security patch to more of its eligible devices in the coming weeks.