Samsung has announced that a critical new update for Galaxy devices will be released in August. This update is particularly important, and users are urged to install it as soon as it becomes available for their specific model, region, and carrier.
The urgency stems from a Pixel zero-day vulnerability that made headlines in June, prompting the US government to mandate all federal employees to update their Pixel devices by July 4 or power them down. Initially considered a Pixel-only threat, Google later revealed that the vulnerability affects all Android devices, including Samsung’s. Google committed to working with other manufacturers on a fix.
Last month, it was estimated that a fix could take three months or longer. However, Samsung has expedited the process, confirming that “the target schedule for this fix is August… [albeit] this may vary on network provider and device.” This timeline is earlier than expected, indicating Samsung’s swift response to the threat.
Google did not provide specific details about the vulnerability, but GrapheneOS, the team behind the disclosure, indicated it was part of a fix for a threat first reported in April. This threat is “being actively exploited in the wild by forensic companies.” After Pixel’s June release highlighted the issue, and the US cyber agency added the threat to its Known Exploited Vulnerability catalog, Google confirmed that this issue impacts the broader Android platform. While Pixel devices with the latest security update are protected, other Android OEM partners are prioritizing applicable fixes.
In addition to CVE-2024-32896, GrapheneOS warned of a second vulnerability, CVE-2024-29745, which has only been fully fixed for Pixels thus far. This vulnerability impacts OEM firmware and needs to be addressed by each manufacturer. Google confirmed that this second threat affects Android devices beyond Pixels but requires chaining to other exploits for a successful attack. Samsung has been asked to confirm if this vulnerability is also being addressed in the August update.
Samsung has faced criticism for its inconsistent update approach and recent delays, but this accelerated fix deserves commendation. Given the “zero-day” risk and the US government warning, it is crucial for Samsung users to ensure the August update is installed as soon as it becomes available.
Your First 10 AI Skills
10 practical AI skills, copy-paste prompts and a 7-day plan to start using AI with confidence.
Download the guide →