New Delhi: An all-new lockscreen hack has been reportedly discovered that puts the Android smartphones vulnerable to full control by hackers despite being in a locked mode.
The simple hack involves inserting an extremely long string of characters into the password field after opening the camera app from a locked Android phone.
The hack affects devices running versions of Android 5.x to gain complete control of the device and all the data stored on it.
The technique begins by adding a large number of characters in the emergency call window and then copying it on the Android clipboard. After inserting the long string into the window, the hacker then swipes open the camera from the locked device and swipes down for more options menu and pastes the characters in the resulting password prompt. But, instead of showing an error message, the phone simply unlocks, Ars Technica reports.
Google has fixed the security loophole through the "LMY48M" Android 5.1.1 build released last week for the Nexus 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10. However, as security rollout to the entire Android base takes weeks to months, many users might not be able to have their devices protected.
Those who haven’t received the update yet could immediately switch to a PIN or pattern-based lockscreen to avoid potential hack and loss of personal data.
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