Samsung is pretty adept at delivering security updates to its vast repertoire of devices, very often before Google gets around to it. However, many Samsung smartphones sold over the past few years shipped with an embarrassing security flaw that could let hackers extract sensitive information from the devices.
Multiple generations of Samsung phones were afflicted
Researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel found that several Galaxy S8, Galaxy S9, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S20, and Galaxy S21 phones models didn't store their cryptographic keys properly, effectively allowing hackers to extract the information stored in them, which could include sensitive data such as passwords.
The entire report, which can be read here walks through how the researchers bypassed security measures on Samsung devices. Most of it is tech jargon and will make little sense to anyone without a security background. That leaves us with one important question, though. Should you be worried about it?
The answer to that is no, primarily because the aforementioned issues have already been patched by Samsung, which was notified of the problem promptly after it was discovered. The first fix started rolling out with the August 2021 security patch and a subsequent vulnerability was addressed with the October 2021 patch.
However, you might want to consider updating your Samsung phone if it on an older security patch. If Samsung has stopped supporting your device, you may have to rely on third-party custom ROMs with updated security.
