Samsung has confirmed the details of the May 2019 security patch today. The company releases a new security patch every month for compatible devices. These updates are light on new features but they do apply essential fixes for vulnerabilities found in Android and Samsung's own software.
Google has already put out its Android Security Bulletin for this month which details all of the OS vulnerabilities that have been addressed with this release. It points out that there have been no reports of “active customer exploitation or abuse” of the newly reported issues.
May 2019 security patch details
Fixes for seven critical vulnerabilities are included in the May 2019 patch in addition to patches for dozens of high and moderate risk vulnerabilities. The most severe of these vulnerabilities was found in the Media framework. It could allow a remote attacker to use a special file to run arbitrary code on a device within the context of a privileged process.
The security patch for the month of May 2019 also brings fixes for 21 Samsung Vulnerabilities and Exposures (SVE) items. These are the issues that were identified in Samsung's own software. For example, an issue with the keyboard leaking clipboard contents on the lock screen through Bixby has been fixed.
There are plenty of devices which will receive the latest security patch in the coming weeks. Samsung will gradually begin the rollout with its flagship devices likely being the first to get it. However, we've seen Samsung start the rollout with mid-range devices as well, and we'll be sure to let you know as the patch starts making it to Galaxy smartphones and tablets.
