'Stagefright' vulnerability compromises Android phones with 1 text message, may affect 950M devices

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Comments

  • Reply 81 of 157
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    entropys wrote: »

    yes, but this approach also gave android a leg up through Verizon, back when it was only a pale, laggy imitation of iOS. If Verizon had fallen in line with job's demands, the mobile world would probably be quite different. Who knows how the market may have developed? Would CDMA be still significant? Would windows phone be the 'other 'Mobile OS? Would android be like Symbian?

    I agree Verizon, at the time, tried mighty hard to compete against iPhone with Android but AT&T/Apple was sucking off millions of Verizon customers and they could not stop the losses until they got the iPhone to sell too.

    Once Apple opened up Verizon as well as AT&T, both carriers tried to limit Apple's clout by selling Android phones too... I think the carriers are still nervous about Apple's clout and still promoting Android based on that concern. So, I think the landscape would still be much like it is today. Google gave a way the Android OS and with so many manufacturers of cell phones (over 300) at the time wanting to get into the smart phone market, Android was really their only way to do so. Microsoft was totally clueless about how to stay relevant -- even after developing mobile Win8 they wanted to SELL their OS.

    Check again, at every point Verizon was out gaining AT&T in subscriber growth. Yes some left but many signed up, and more stayed choosing network over device.
  • Reply 82 of 157
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    dasanman69 wrote: »

    Because the deal with Cingular was already in place before the merger and subsequent launch of the iPhone.

    So what? It means therefore that ATT, as the new owners, had to be in complete agreement. That's consistent with what I posted. End of story.

    Add: @SY's post clarifies it better.

    See my comment in post 89.
  • Reply 83 of 157
    "Proof by personal assertions of doubt."
  • Reply 84 of 157
    cfuglecfugle Posts: 34member



    I agree with what you are saying but it about samsung wanting full control of the production cycle from software to sales through at retail. This allows them to start the emulation of Apple's ecosystem and take 100 % control back away from the stranglehold of Google. Like all 1st/2nd even 3rd iterations of software, it tales time and a few generations before Tizen will start to become an option for high end devices, but they can start to inject their entire low end (and somewhat profitable) feature phones with it and not pay fees to Google in the process. This allows them to focus on upgrades that are on time and security patches that are rolled out in an orderly fashion thus creating loyalty to their installed base. Once smartphones get the Tizen tested software and developers are starting to see profits coming in, Android plummets downward and Samsung is their largest pusher of Android, is freed of their shackles and can start to truly innovate themselves...

  • Reply 85 of 157
    tmaytmay Posts: 6,312member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by dasanman69 View Post





    It doesn't matter, Apple isn't the only one that does that. That people don't buy their devices is another issue.

    Google's Android OS business model is built on "free range OEM's" and "carriers looking for lock in". Google made a tradeoff of rapid expansion over customer experience. 

     

    When someone has a sad because there isn't anything that Google can do about those mean carriers and those unruly OEM's, it is because Google never gave a shit about those things when Android OS was launched.

     

    All of this is by design; bad design, but design nonetheless.

  • Reply 86 of 157
    linkmanlinkman Posts: 1,035member

    This has the potential to "go viral" in a big way with just a single malicious text. The virus gets sent to a phone, that phone is compromised and sends it out to its entire contact list, and so on. Hmmm... this could sell an extra few million iPhones this quarter with people getting their 'droid phones bricked or suspecting/knowing they were compromised with no patch available from their carrier. I see the analysts raising their expectations now from ridiculously high to ludicrously high.

  • Reply 87 of 157
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    cfugle wrote: »

    I agree with what you are saying but it about samsung wanting full control of the production cycle from software to sales through at retail. This allows them to start the emulation of Apple's ecosystem and take 100 % control back away from the stranglehold of Google. Like all 1st/2nd even 3rd iterations of software, it tales time and a few generations before Tizen will start to become an option for high end devices, but they can start to inject their entire low end (and somewhat profitable) feature phones with it and not pay fees to Google in the process. This allows them to focus on upgrades that are on time and security patches that are rolled out in an orderly fashion thus creating loyalty to their installed base. Once smartphones get the Tizen tested software and developers are starting to see profits coming in, Android plummets downward and Samsung is their largest pusher of Android, is freed of their shackles and can start to truly innovate themselves...

    You paint a pretty picture but like all paintings it is fantasy not reality. People aren't going to jump to a third OS, and neither are developers.
  • Reply 88 of 157
    techlovertechlover Posts: 879member

    As far as everyone playing their roles, this thread did not disappoint.

  • Reply 88 of 157
    idreyidrey Posts: 647member
    afrodri wrote: »
    I'm not sure how much has been televised, but it is more than blogs reporting it. A number of national and international news sources have covered / are covering it:
    http://money.cnn.com/2015/07/27/technology/android-text-hack/
    http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/android-flaw-could-let-hackers-take-over-phone-text-n399016
    http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/android-stagefright-hack-make-protected/story?id=32738151
    http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-33689399

    It looks like at least CNN has broadcast it, probably others.

    So far, this exploit hasn't been reported 'in the wild', so it hasn't made its way from the 'Technology' section to the front page.

    It also was in the NYT
  • Reply 90 of 157
    sog35 wrote: »
    How old is your phone?  After 12 months most phones don't get updates from carriers.

    If you buy an older phone you get no updates at all.
    HTC m8 aprox 15 months old and the international one is still getting support by HTC. At&t is a different story. The galaxy s4 from 2013 is still getting updates however. They are changing. Slowly but its happening. What needs to happen is some of the cooks need to be removed from the kitchen.
  • Reply 91 of 157
    dick applebaumdick applebaum Posts: 12,527member
    sog35 wrote: »
    How old is your phone?  After 12 months most phones don't get updates from carriers.

    If you buy an older phone you get no updates at all.
    HTC m8 aprox 15 months old and the international one is still getting support by HTC. At&t is a different story. The galaxy s4 from 2013 is still getting updates however. They are changing. Slowly but its happening. What needs to happen is some of the cooks need to be removed from the kitchen.

    That is a good observation ...

    But, once you have sold your sole Google -- how do you get it back?
  • Reply 92 of 157
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post





    Heck you're a day late. I posted about it yesterday, more than 30 hours ago.

    http://forums.appleinsider.com/t/185846/roommates-stab-each-other-with-beer-bottles-in-iphone-vs-android-dispute/80#post_2753031



    In the meantime I just turned off "auto-retrieve" in my messaging app. That takes care of it for now.

     

    You can also power off the phone completely, that would be even safer :) 

  • Reply 93 of 157
    That is a good observation ...

    But, once you have sold your sole Google -- how do you get it back?

    I see no reason yet to distrust Google. They are best where they excell in. I love YouTube, I have been using gmail for almost a decade and honestly have no complaints. I have tried other search engines and they have failed. As far as adds go. By now Google has for better or worse a damn good idea of who I am and my interest ak its great when adds are tailored specifically to me.
  • Reply 94 of 157
    idreyidrey Posts: 647member
    solipsismy wrote: »
    Cingular signed the deal with Apple. Apple introduced the iPhone with Cingular as the carrier. Cingular announced they acquired — not merged with — AT&T. Cingular changed their name to AT&T because AT&T was much more well known. The iPhone launched with AT&T as the sole carrier.
    700


    Correct he can do a web search and learn all about it. What we now know as AT&T is actually Cingular.

    Good pic LOL
  • Reply 95 of 157
    That is a good observation ...

    But, once you have sold your sole Google -- how do you get it back?

    You tell him it's infected with Stagefright and you'll buy it back in exchange for the souls of a couple of serial killers. Or Google executives.
  • Reply 96 of 157
    dasanman69 wrote: »
    You paint a pretty picture but like all paintings it is fantasy not reality. People aren't going to jump to a third OS, and neither are developers.

    Fourth OS, behind Windows Phone 7 8 10
  • Reply 97 of 157
    baconstangbaconstang Posts: 1,104member

    Everybody's acting like this is some kind of FLAW.  Don't they know it's a FEATURE?

  • Reply 98 of 157
    jkichlinejkichline Posts: 1,369member
    mstone wrote: »
    Surely the exploit can do more than delete its own MMS message. Does the attacker get control of the device?

    I think the point is yes, but they also leave almost no trace of the attack.
  • Reply 99 of 157

     
    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

    Paging Gatorguy

     


     

    No...

     

     

    Paging Gatorguy

     

    No!

     
    Paging Gatorguy

     

    NO!!!

     

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post





    It was reported on Fox News this morning, Also noted it on the local news this evening.

     

    @sog35, you just HAD to do it right? 

  • Reply 100 of 157
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member
    This will affect hundred of millions of people and last for years. It's a catastrophe.

    AHAHAHAH
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