Table of contents:
Any Android mobile that is not updated to its latest version, Android 9 Pie, can suffer a major attack and endanger the vulnerability of the system. Basically, having a mobile phone with an operating system lower than Android 9 Pie is like carrying a GPS on you that can be tracked by anyone, not just Google, as they are known to do even if we have the locations disabled. As reported by the Phone Arena website, thanks to a report developed by the research firm Nightwatch Security, this failure allows applications to ignore the permissions we give and we do not allow them, in order to access the information found in the system stations.
A tracking system in your pocket
Thanks to this vulnerability, cybercriminals who propose it will be able to obtain the name of the WiFi network used by the device, the identifying name of a local wireless network (BSSID), the MAC address of the device and the local IP addresses. Thanks to all this information, the hacker could geolocate and track any mobile device even getting the name of the street where it is located.Google fixed this bug but only if you update your mobile to Android 9 Pie. Less than 1% of Android phones currently have this version of Android inside them, so the remaining 99% is in danger if we stick to the information provided. According to the company that has uncovered the security scandal, Google has no intention of solving the problem in older Android versions.
In addition, the website continues to report, the Nightwatch Security report not only refers to versions prior to Android 9 Pie of Android terminals but also to those terminals with their own operating system, although based on Android, such as the Amazon Kindle Fire tablets. However, as we said before, Google is not going to solve this hole, so the user will have to take their own action on the matter. What can we do to avoid this problem?
Tips to avoid the security hole
Try to update to Android 9 Pie. If you don't want to get into messy trouble, the best thing to do is wait for your brand to decide to upgrade to Android 9 Pie. If your terminal is a Pixel you will have already updated, because they are Google's own brand phones. There are also other phones that are already compatible with the available version of Android 9 Pie, such as the OnePlus 6, Nokia 7 Plus, Oppo 15 Pro, Sony Xperia XZ2, Vivo X21 or the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S.
Do not install any application outside of Google Play. Sometimes it is tempting to download a paid application for free to save a few euros, but it is a highly discouraged strategy. There is the possibility that an application outside the security protocol of the Play Store application store could be infected with some kind of virus, so it is better that you limit the downloads within the Play Store.
Install a good antivirus on your terminal. You have at your disposal, in the Play Store, several free antivirus that can help you make the phone less vulnerable, even if it does not have Android 9 Pie installed.
