Security Vulnerabilities Allow Hackers to Eavesdrop on Android Conversations

A security flaw was discovered in Android phones that use chipsets made by Qualcomm and MediaTek. This makes millions of mobile phones in danger of being infiltrated by hackers.

The security vulnerability found stemmed from the Apple Lossless Audio Codec or ALAC, an audio format that Apple launched in 2004 to provide lossless data compression for digital music.

After being available open source in 2011, this codec is also widely used by non-Apple devices, including Android phones.

Over the years Apple has kept ALAC updated to patch security loopholes and other bugs. But according to a Check Point Research report, the open source version of ALAC used by Qualcomm and MediaTek has never been updated.

For your information, based on IDC data, 48.1% of all Android phones sold in the US were powered by MediaTek in Q4 2021, while Qualcomm currently holds 47% of the market.

According to a report … Read the rest