Google has revealed that Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S6 Edge Android smartphone suffered 11 “high impact” security issues that were introduced by the company’s customisation of Android.



Of the 11 bugs that were found in a week-long focus on Samsung’s device by Google’s Project Zero security bug hunting team, some could allow hackers to take over the device and steal personal data.

Natalie Silvanovich from Project Zero said: “The majority of these issues were fixed on the device we tested via an over-the-air update within 90 days, though three lower-severity issues remain unfixed. It is promising that the highest severity issues were fixed and updated on-device in a reasonable timeframe.”

Samsung said that its new monthly security updates programme would address the bugs.

A Samsung spokesperson said: “In our first security update, we were able to provide solutions to eight of the more critical issues that were brought to our attention by Google as part of their 90-day reporting policy. The remaining three issues will be included as part of our November security update which will be rolling out over the next couple of weeks.”

Google’s focus on Android security bugs comes after a year of increased scrutiny of the mobile operating system that runs on over a billion devices worldwide.

Recent revelations of two versions of the Android “Stagefright” bug, as well as various bugs in Samsung’s devices, have dented confidence in the security of Android.

The company has made strides to clear malware and misbehaving apps from its Google Play Store, as well as pledging to issue security updates once a month for its own Nexus line of devices.

Now the company that distributes Android to third-party manufacturers, including Samsung, LG, Sony, HTC and Huawei, has turned its focus to devices made by others.

Silvanovich said: “[Manufacturers] are an important area for Android security research, as they introduce additional (and possibly vulnerable) code into Android devices at all privilege levels, and they decide the frequency of the security updates that they provide for their devices to carriers.”

As Google and Android device manufacturers, including Samsung, make increased efforts to target companies with schemes such as Android for Work and Samsung Knox, the security of Android smartphones and tablets has never been more important.