The Samsung November 2017 Security Maintenance Release has been detailed today and it brings the fix for a major Wi-Fi security flaw. The Krack Wi-Fi vulnerability was recently discovered and it's not due to a weakness in Samsung's software or hardware. It's a vulnerability in the WPA2 Wi-Fi security protocol.
The researchers who discovered it say that if a device supports Wi-Fi, it's most likely affected by this vulnerability. It leaves connections between computers and wireless access points exposed, enabling attackers to eavesdrop on traffic between the devices.
Samsung November 2017 Security Patch Thwarts Krack Attack
Since the Krack attack vulnerability leaves Wi-Fi connections exposed, users with affected devices run the risk of remote ransomware code injection and even data theft. However, there haven't been any reports of widespread exploitation of this vulnerability by bad actors.
Samsung detailed this month's security patch later than usual because it presumably waited to include the Krack attack fix in this release. The November 2017 security patch also brings fixes for 61 Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures discovered in the Android operating system.
The company has also bundled patches for six vulnerabilities found in its own software in this month's security patch.
Samsung will start rolling out the November 2017 security patch for its major flagship smartphones in the coming days. We reported yesterday that the international unlocked Galaxy Note 8 might be the first handset to get this patch next week.
