Google Patches KRACK WPA2 Vulnerability in Android. Update and the security patch level is 2017-11-06, the KRACK fixes are also included. From their mobile provider or phone vendor can. How to check your Android Security Patch Level on your phone. Google’s very own Nexus, as well as Pixel, was the premier smartphones to obtain latest Android updates. In case you are using other devices than these, possibly you need to wait till the manufacturer felt the need of security patches on their devices. Scroll to and tap About phone. The device has the latest software if the Android version. Android version: 8.0; Security patch level (SPL): October 1, 2018. (4044O) support for the topic: Software update for the Samsung Galaxy S7 (G930A). Find more step by step device tutorials on att.com. Skip Navigation. Shop & support Shop & support. Monthly device updates are an important tool to keep Android users safe and protect their devices. This page contains the available Android Security Bulletins, which provide fixes for possible issues affecting devices running Android. Security patch level; December 2018.
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Nope, you're not being paranoid. From pickpockets to malware, your Android phone is under siege from all sides. Wily attackers are continually switching up their tactics in hopes of taking control of your device.
Android 6 Security Patch
Let's acknowledge that there's no foolproof way to protect your Android device from thieves and hackers. Indeed, as a wise technology guru once told me, if a sophisticated crook decides to target your phone, good luck trying to stop them.
That said, there are plenty of ways to keep your Android handset safe from the most common security threats, all with a minimum of effort. Just as a deadbolt will thwart a casual thief, so will a passcode foil a pickpocket, while the right security settings can keep most malware-infected apps at bay.
Read on for six easy ways to keep your Android phone secure, starting with...
1. Lock your phone (if you haven't already)
This seems like a no-brainer, I know, but there are too many Android users toting around unlocked handsets because they'd rather not hassle with a passcode. I sympathize, to be perfectly honest—PINs are annoying, particularly if you're having to tap one in every time you want to use your own phone.
If you know a fellow Android user who doesn't bother to lock their phone, remind them how they'd feel if they left their phone in the back of a taxicab, or if someone snatched their device from their hand. Then gently nudge them to tap Settings > Security > Screen lock and have them create a PIN—or, if they're lucky enough to have a phone with a fingerprint reader, scan some fingerprints for touch ID.
Even better, steer them toward Smart Lock, the Android feature that lets you unlock your handset with your face, or keep your phone unlocked whenever you're at home, near a strategically placed NFC sticker, or whenever your device is on your person.
2. Locate and wipe your phone remotely
OK, so you locked your Android phone with a PIN or Smart Lock but you lost it anyway. Now what? Luckily, you can use the Android Device Manager to track your lost device and even wipe it if necessary, but only if you've enabled a pair of settings first.
Tap Settings > Google > Security, the toggle on these two settings: Remotely locate this device, and Allow remote lock and erase.
Now, even if your Android phone is lost or stolen, you can still pinpoint its location (as long as it's got a wireless connection and its battery holds out) and wipe its storage, including all your sensitive data.
Make sure Unknown Sources setting is disabled
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So much for physical threats to your Android phone—now, let's move on to something trickier, starting with malicious apps.
Google does its best to make sure the apps on the Google Play store are free from malware, but it can't protect you from apps on third-party app stores or web sites.
Now, in some cases, third-party app stores will be totally legit—take Amazon's app store, for example. In other cases, though, you might be dealing with an app store that's a lot sketchier than Amazon's. Even worse, you might encounter a website that tries to install an app on your phone without your permission.
Luckily, Android has a setting that blocks any and all apps that aren't from the official Google Play app store. Tap Settings > Security, then toggle off the Unknown sources setting. You can always turn the Unknown sources setting back on to install an app from, say, the Amazon app store, but remember to turn the setting off again once you're done.
Let Android scan and verify your apps
Even with Google busily screening the apps in the Google Play store, there's always a chance that a malicious app slips through the cracks. With the right setting enabled, your Android phone can periodically scan your installed apps for malware.
Tap Settings > Google > Security > Verify apps, then switch on the Scan device for security threats setting. Once you do, Android will keep an eye on your apps and flag any app that's up to no good.
Keep your phone updated
Hackers are continually changing up their strategies when it comes to cracking Android's security features—and as they do, Google keeps releasing security updates to patch the latest known vulnerabilities.
That's why it's critical that you keep your Android device updated with the latest patches. If you don't, you're essentially leaving your phone wide open to attack.
Your Android phone should prompt you whenever there's a new update to install, or tap Settings > About phone > System updates to check for an update manually.
Turn on Chrome's Safe Browsing feature
Malicious apps aren't the only online threat your Android phone will encounter. The web is rife with malicious sites that might try to steal your personal data via a 'phishing' attack, or surreptitiously download a harmful app onto your handset.
The good news is that Chrome for Android boasts a 'Safe Browsing' mode that'll warn you of any sites suspected of nefarious activity. The warning will give you a chance to back away before you expose your Android phone to a 'deceptive' or dangerous site.
To activate Chrome's Safe Browsing feature, just fire up the browser, tap the three-dot menu button in the top corner of the screen, tap Settings > Privacy, then make sure the 'Safe Browsing' setting is checked.
Google has compiled a 'nice' list of which smartphone and tablet models receive its monthly Android security updates, and — surprise! — Samsung leads the pack.
Samsung has 14 models listed, including its recent flagship phones the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Active. As you'd expect, all of Google's recent devices make the cut, but so do models from lesser-known brands such as General Mobile, Gionee and Oppo.
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The Google list, which was released yesterday (June 1) and which you can see here, isn't of which phones immediately receive the updates — only Google's own phones do so — but those models 'with a majority of deployed devices running a security update from the last two months.'
Manufacturer | Device |
BlackBerry | PRIV |
Fujitsu | F-01J |
General Mobile | GM5 Plus d, GM5 Plus, General Mobile 4G Dual, General Mobile 4G |
Gionee | A1 |
Google | Pixel XL, Pixel, Nexus 6P, Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 9 |
LGE | LG G6, V20, Stylo 2 V, GPAD 7.0 LTE |
Motorola | Moto Z, Moto Z Droid |
Oppo | CPH1613, CPH1605 |
Samsung | Galaxy S8+, Galaxy S8, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy S7 Active, Galaxy S6 Active, Galaxy S5 Dual SIM, Galaxy C9 Pro, Galaxy C7, Galaxy J7, Galaxy On7 Pro, Galaxy J2, Galaxy A8, Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 |
Sharp | Android One S1, 507SH |
Sony | Xperia XA1, Xperia X |
Vivo | Vivo 1609, Vivo 1601, Vivo Y55 |
Credit: Google
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The list also includes the BlackBerry PRIV, the Motorola Moto Z and Moto Z Droid, the LG G6 and the Sony Xperia X and XA1, as well as models from Vivo, Sharp and Fujitsu. Google notes that another 50 or so devices run updates from the last 90 days, but it doesn't provide a list of those.
Phones that install the latest security updates are a small but growing minority in the Android world. Whereas 80 to 90 percent of iPhones and iPads run the latest version of iOS, the Android update process has tended to be a fragmented mess, with security updates reaching individual handset months late, if ever.
As of May 2, only 7 percent of the devices with Google Play installed were running Nougat, the latest version of Android that contains the most modern security protections. The silver lining is that another 82 percent ran the older versions Marshmallow, Lollipop or KitKat, which still may get security updates, depending on the age of the device. (Even Google's own phones are cut off after their third birthdays.)
The next version of Android, code-named 'Android O' (Oreo? Oh Henry? Ovaltine?), may solve this problem. It will introduce a new software framework called Project Treble that aims to separate the operating system from the handset, letting Google push out nearly-immediate security updates to far more models.
The updates will still need to be customized for specific chipset architectures, such as those made by Qualcomm or Samsung, but there are only a handful of those in widespread use among mobile devices.