Older Versions Of Android OS Vulnerable To Malware Which Spreads Via Bluetooth: This Is How You Can Stop It

It is suggested that if you are not using the latest version of Android, then you should probably check and update to the latest update on your smartphone. 

According to security researchers at ERNW, a malware by the name of BlueFrag could have possibly made its way to your phone unless it is running on the latest Android 10 update. 

How Did This Happen?

As per the reports, BlueFrag lets miscreants silently deliver malware and steal data through Bluetooth from phones running on older versions of Android, including Android 8 Oreo or Android 9 Pie. 

It is estimated that the malware could possibly affect devices running on versions before Android 8, but there has been no evaluation of the impact on older releases.

How Does It Spread?

It is as simple as all the malware sender needs to know is the Bluetooth MAC (media access control) address of the target’s smartphone. 

Here is the shocking part that the researchers at ERNW have asserted that one would not come to know when the attack is taking place. 

The new critical vulnerability in Android devices allows cybercrime silently deliver malware. 

The other bad news is that the malicious actor only needs to know the Bluetooth MAC address of the target. 

According to analysts, one can protect their device by downloading the latest February 2020 security patch. 

The good news is that the flaw doesn’t work with Android 10 and it only results in a crash of the daemon. 

Further considering the attack happens via Bluetooth, you need to be in close proximity to the attacker. 

How To Protect Against This Virus?

Going forward, most of the affected devices have either lost software updates or do not receive them consistently.

Here the bigger issue is that search giant Google, only allows renowned phone makers to provide security updates for two years. 

Initially this policy was enforced last year, has put a lot of Android users whose phones are running on a version older than Android 8 at higher risk. 

Moreover, the situation is critical as a majority of people are still using devices with Android 9 or older, the malware could leave a large number of people exposed.

To tackle the situation, the users are strongly advised to install the latest available security patch from February 2020 or can try to mitigate the impact by some generic behavior rules:

1. Be cautious, only enable Bluetooth if strictly necessary and keep in mind that most Bluetooth enabled headphones also support wired analog audio.
2. Secondly, keep the device undiscovered. As most are only discovered if you enter the Bluetooth scanning menu. Nevertheless, some older phones might be permanently
   discoverable .