The Stagefright bug is a big deal to just about every Android owner out there. There’s an estimated 95% of Android powered devices that qualify as susceptible to such an exploit through the Stagefright module in Android. And the scary part is that the older your Android phone or tablet is, the less secure and vulnerable it is.It has been determined that anything running Android 2.2 (FroYo) or later will surrender easily if a malicious MMS text message is received. Newer phones have more security tools built into them, but they are not fully protected if such an attack occurred. Chances are that if you have a device running something less than Android 4.4 you won’t see a patch from a carrier. Good luck.
What can you do while you wait for the patch?
The best thing we can recommend is that you disable the Auto-Retrieve feature in your default text messenger app. We’ve read that some apps like Google Hangouts might not be able to notify the user before the code executes and opens the window for the thief to get in. So you might even consider temporarily switching apps if you use Google Hangouts for SMS/MMS. We put together a quick video showing you how to disable this setting in several common text messaging app; like Hangouts, Messages, and Verizon’s Message+ app.
Please take a look below:
There are several Stagefright Detector apps out there and even with auto-retrieve disabled they will report that your phone is prone to attack, but at least you can run the app after you receive an over-the-air update to verify your MMS system is patched. Zimperium, the company responsible for discovering the loophole has a highly recommended detector app and Lookout has a respectable app with the same service.
Have you received any unusual text messages lately? If so, have you noticed your phone running hot when you’re not using it or sluggish while you are using it? These could be signs that you have a big problem on your hands. If you think you have been a victim of this activity you should put your phone in Airplane mode until you can get some help.
